Mask of the Fox
by Ryu Kotei
Summary: Naruto has been banished after bringing back Sasuke, destroying the Fourth's final wish. As a back-up, Jiraiya brings Naruto to a trusted friend to start a new life. Now, Kurama Dojima will face the ghosts of his past as well as all the strange happenings in Inaba after the arrival of Yu Narukami. Can anyone see through Kurama's mask? NarutoxRise. M for safety.
1. Prologue

**This is Ryu Kotei saying that I do not own Naruto nor Persona 4.**

****"Yo" normal speech

_"What the..."_ thought/mind speak/flash back

**"I'll kill you!"** demon/shadow speech

Prologue

***Inaba, Dojima Residence***

Ryotaro Dojima was surprised to see his old friend, Jiraiya, but the surprise was short lived as the white-haired man motioned for him and his wife, Chisato, to the kitchen area. A small boy with sun-blonde hair walked into the living room and sat on the couch and began reading a scroll with a look of melancholy on his face. Jiraiya poured some coffee said, "It's been some time, Ryotaro."

Chisato looked at the boy and at Jiraiya with a slight smile. "He's their child, isn't he?" she asked as if she already knew the answer, "I can see Minato-kun in him." Jiraiya let out a sigh and place a file on the table for the Dojimas to look over. Inside the file were medical records, false report cards, and a birth certificate for a Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki.

As the Dojimas read the contents of the file, Naruto was remembering what all had happened; Sakura had beaten the crap out him for bringing a bloody and beaten Sasuke, Tsunade reluctantly telling Naruto of banishment and having his chakra sealed, and then Jiraiya telling him about both of his parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, and how they had a backup plan if Minato's wishes were never fulfilled. The Dojimas were sickened of how Naruto was treated in his life.

Chisato rose from her seat and ran towards the blonde to give him a loving hug. "Naruto-kun," said Chisato as she cried into his shoulder, "Why does someone who is so kind gets such abuse?" By the time Chisato had calmed down, a little girl had walked down the stairs to investigate what had happened. "Why's Mommy crying?" asking the little girl viewing the scene. Ryotaro walked towards the girl and whispered something into her ears, which then brought a sad smile to her face.

"Naruto," said Jiraiya as he motioned Naruto to the table, "I need to tell you something."

**After this, Naruto will be going as a different name and he will be speaking to the fox, Kurama. When the to are talking to each other, Kurama will have Fox before his name in order to hopefully avoid any confusion in the future.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry for the confusion, but this is the real first chapter of Mask of the Fox and I will try to get that fixed soon. I mentioned in the prologue, but I will remind you that when ever the Demon Fox is talking, Kurama will have 'Fox' before his name in order to avoid confusion. I did like the idea of having Chisato alive, but I really didn't want to alter the Persona 4 story line too much. This will be Drama for a while until Naruto is kidnapped so bare with me.**

**Once again, I do not own Naruto nor Persona 4.**

"Name's Kurama" normal speech

**"I'm Kurama"** demon speak

_"What..."_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 1: New Life, New Problems

***Inaba Dojima Residence*(Three Years Later)**

Naruto woke up to the sound of his alarm clock and rose from his futon. He soon walked into the bathroom with make-up in hand. Naruto was adopted into the Dojimas and decided to change his appearance so that he couldn't be reminded of his past. His blonde hair was now a burnt chestnut brown, grown out and put into a low ponytail, Chisato taught him how to cover his birthmarks with make-up, and it took a lot of convincing for Ryotaro to get him a pair of red contacts to make it look like that Naruto has heterochromia iridium. Naruto's biggest change was his personality after the hit and run that caused Chisato's death. He was still his prank-loving self, but after her death Naruto became a more serious adult. Naruto looked in the mirror to see the person he had been for during the past three years: Kurama Dojima.

Ryotaro had told Naruto that a relative will be staying with them for some time. "Yu Narukami," said Naruto as he thought of ways to prank his cousin. With his experience as a prankster and as a ninja, and with a little coaxing from Nanako and sometimes Ryotaro, Naruto could prank circles around ace detectives. "Time to get ready to 'greet' my cousin," said Naruto with his trademark foxy grin.

***20 Minutes Later***

Ryotaro and Nanako walked in the house with a silver-haired teen right behind them. "Kurama-kun" called Nanako, "We're home!" Kurama walked down the stairs and greeted his father and sister with a one-armed hug. The silver-haired teen looked at his cousin in front of him as Kurama reached out a hand for a hand shake. "My name's Kurama Dojima, your adoptive cousin," said Kurama letting a small smirk briefly escape his face. "Yu Naruka-AHHHHH!" said Yu as he grabbed Kurama's hand, only to receive a shocking jolt. Kurama laughed as he revealed the joy buzzer in his hand with the Dojimas and Yu laughing at the prank.

After helping Yu move into the spare room, Naruto was in his room holding a small box in his hands. He then took out a key from his pocket, slid it into the slot, and gave the key a twist. The box clicked opened and revealed its contents: a necklace with a long dark-green jewel with an aqua-colored bead on both sides of the gem and a blue cloth with a small metal plate with a leaf-looking symbol. _Pieces of the past_, thought Naruto as he closed the box and got out a small book that served as his journal. Naruto was giving the box by Chisato sometime before her death for him to store his precious memories. Ryotaro had given Naruto a journal so that the former shinobi can write his personal thoughts. "I miss them," said Naruto as he wrote in his journal.

The next morning was the first day of school as Yu and Kurama were walking to Yasogami High after dropping Nanako off at her school. When the two had arrived at the gates, Kurama suddenly became nervous. "WellthisisYasogamiHighI'dshowyouwheretogobutIgottaru n!" said Kurama as he ran inside the building in a mad dash. Yu just stood there with a confused look and decided to just ignore it and headed off into the building. When class started, man wearing a blue suit and possessing a visible overbite entered with Yu following him. "Alright quiet down you ungrateful brats," said the man with an already visible tick mark on his head, "We have a new student joining us today. Now please introduce yourself and make it quick." After Yu had introduced himself to the class and somehow getting on the teacher's shit list, Kurama walked into the room drenched in sweat and out of breath. "Kurama, you're LATE!" shouted the teacher as Kurama walked to his seat mumbling something about 'fan girls' and other student started to gossip.

"Man, I wish I was like Kurama, aside from always being yelled at by King Moron," said one male student.

"Well, the dude's the best soccer player we have next to Daisuke," said another male student.

"That's true," said a female student, "but his eyes are so beautiful."

As the school day ended Yu was talking to a girl wearing a green jacket with buttons on it and a girl wearing a red jacket when a boy with that Kurama recognized as Youske Hanamura handing a DVD to the girl in the green jacket. Yosuke then tried to run away but the green jacket wearing girl introduced her foot to Yosuke's jewels. "Yosuke, you baka," said Kurama as the girl in red jumped. "Kurama-kun," said the girl, "I thought you were already gone." Kurama looked at the two girls and said, "I thought I might talk to my cousin before I get my exercise. Sorry for scaring you Amagi-san." Before Kurama had a chance to speak, a group of girls holding a banner with his face entered. "There's Kurama-kun," called one girl as she and the others advanced, "let's give him our love!" Kurama bolted out of school with a mob of fan girls after him.

After Kurama arrived home from the frenzied girls, he grabbed some instant ramen and cooked it. Once the ramen was done, Kurama went to the living room where Nanako was watching a game show. "How was school?" asked Nanako as she changed the channel to the news channel. "Same as last year," said Kurama as he slurped the noodles, "classes then get chased by my fan club." Nanako knew of Kurama's fan club and how they chase him around, wanting his autograph and other weird things that she never understood.

"We interrupt this program for a special announcement," said the television as a new bulletin flashed on the screen, "a news reporter was found murdered in Yasoinaba today. The reporter was none other than Mayumi Yamano, who was supposedly having an affair with Taro Namatame, a political secretary." Naruto knew that Inaba was never always a quiet little place, but a murder can create a lot of noise within the neighborhood. "The body was found by a local high school student where the body was found hanging upside down from a television antenna. Police are also baffled that there was no evidence of any form of physical harm to the body," said the news reporter as Naruto drifted off into his mind.

_A murder where there is no physical damage to the body,_ thought Naruto as he began to think of his past, _it's impossible unless that woman was poisoned or under the effects of Tsukuyomi._ Naruto never enjoyed remembering his past nor did he like how it was shove itself into his face. Over the years, Naruto was starting to hate his former life in the Elemental Nations. "**Kit,"** boomed a voice in Naruto's head, "**The past is the past, forget about it."** Naruto knew that this voice belonged to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox where he got his new name from. "_Sorry,"_ said Naruto as he communicated with the fox through his mind, "_It's just how that reporter died just got me to thinking that Itachi is here."_ Before Fox Kurama could tell Naruto about the impossibilities of the Akatsutki ever finding him here, Nanako looked at Naruto knowing that he was talking to the fox.

"Are there bad people here, Kurama-onee-san?" asked Nanako with concern in her voice. Kurama snapped out of his thoughts and sat on the floor next to Nanako. "Don't worry little sis," said Kurama as he wrapped an arm around Nanako, "Your father and I will make sure that no bad guys will ever get you nor our cousin." Nanako returned the comforting hug, knowing that she was in safe hands.

***Later at Night***

Ryotaro walked through the door after working late in the office and saw Kurama at the dinner table with a coffee mug. Ryotaro knew that the sight of his son drinking coffee late at night always meant that Naruto's past was in his face again. "I thought you hated coffee, Naruto," said Ryotaro as he pours himself a mug and sat down across from the former blonde, "You've been thinking about your past again." Naruto sighed about how obvious to find out was he was thinking, but he was always glad that Ryotaro would help him in any way possible. "How that woman died made me think of _them,_ especially about _it,_" said Naruto as he took a drink of the coffee in his mug. Ryotaro knew that Naruto was talking about the assassination group, the Akatsuki, as well as a certain power that one of the members possessed. "You have nothing to worry about, Naruto," said Ryotaro as he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Even if they find you, I will gladly put my badge on the line, for you and Nanako." Naruto finished his coffee and got up from the table. "Thanks Dad," said Naruto as he hugged his father, who then returned the hug. "Anytime, son," said the detective letting go of his son, "Now I don't want you up all night again, or no ramen for a month." Naruto nodded and headed off to bed for the new day was heading towards Kurama's life.

**I'm not sure if I'm using the onee-san right or not, but I will try to fix any of those mistakes on the future.**

**Ja ne!**


	3. Chapter 2

**This is Ryu Kotei answering a couple of questions about Mask of the Fox. I know that I could have Naruto go under the name of Minato Dojima, but I thought that would too obvious (even with the physical changes Naruto has gone through). I will only show bits and pieces of the TV World until both Naruto and Rise are kidnapped. I know that Naruto is a ninja, but still, everyone has those moments.**

**I also would like to say that I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"'Sup," normal speech

_"Where are you?"_ thought/mind speak

**"PERSONA!" **demon/shadow speak

Chapter 2: The Magician and Bad Meetings

***Yasogami High* (Two days later)**

Everyone was hit hard when they heard of Saki Konishi's death, but the ones who were hit the hardest were Yosuke and Kurama. Yosuke always had a crush on his senpai, and as for Kurama, he lost one of the few girls who didn't go rabid at the sight of him. During the lunch break, Kurama was eating his ramen on the roof of the school with Yu and the two girls from yesterday. "I hope Yosuke-kun is alright," said the girl in green as she sadly ate her ramen. "Death is never easy to handle, Chie-chan," said Kurama as he began to remember his mother's death, "but we all have to handle it, one day or the other."

Yukiko knew that Kurama was thinking about the day Chisato had died. Yukiko and her family hired Kurama as a part-time worker and when Chisato had died, Kurama was in a really bad depression. He would barely eat, hardly bathed, and at times would have really bad fits of sadness. Chie had also known about Kurama's depression as she herself had seen him during one of his fits.

_Flashback_

_It has been three days after Chisato's funeral and Chie was told by the teacher to bring Kurama his homework as he wasn't in school again. "I hope Kurama-kun is alright," said Chie as she knocked on the door of the Dojima Residence and Ryotaro opened the door. "You must be one of Kurama's friends, right?" asked the detective as Chie hand him Kurama's homework. "May I come in and see if he's alright, Dojima-san?" asked Chie with sadness in her eyes._

_Ryotaro sighed and let the girl in and warned her about how Kurama has been acting lately. As Ryotaro slowly opened to reveal a small boy curled up into a ball crying loudly. Chie had never seen Kurama cry, even when he had broken his arm after falling off a tree branch, but the sight was tearing at her heart. She carefully walked towards Kurama and sat next to him and wrapped him in a hug. "Chi-Chi?" said Kurama as his crying calmed down, "Why…Why you are…Why are you here?" Chie tighten her hug and rocked the depressed boy. "I'm here for you, Kurama," said Chie as she let the boy sob into her shoulder, giving Ryotaro a reassuring smile on his face._

_Flashback End_

"Hopefully Yosuke will be able to bounce back, Kurai-baby," said Chie as she scooted closer to Kurama, hoping that he won't go into one of his fits. "Yeah," said Kurama as he finished his ramen and got up and headed towards the door. "Oh yeah," said Kurama and turned to face Chie, "DON'T CALL ME KURAI-BABY, CHI-CHI!" As Kurama left, Chie couldn't help but smile as she knew Kurama was going to be alright.

After regular classes had ended, Kurama decided to stay after and practice his soccer skills with his rival, Daisuke. It was the final few minutes of the practice match. "Alright, Kurama, show me what you got!" said Daisuke as he tried to intercept the ball from Kurama. Kurama knew Daisuke's all-out style as he redirected the ball's path to dodge his rival. Daisuke and a couple of his defenders chased after Kurama and two of his teammates.

"Alright guys," Kurama called towards his two teammates, "Fire Clone Formation!" Kurama passed the balled towards his teammate and the three of them went into a single file formation. "RUSH 'EM!" commanded Daisuke as he and his teammate pushed harder to intercept. As one of Daisuke's teammate went in for the interception, Kurama's teammate in the front moved away for his other teammate to change the ball's path pass Daisuke's defense with Kurama following him. "CRAP!" said Daisuke as he slides in the dirt to change his course, "BOX THEM IN!" Before the opposing team could execute the plan, Kurama had pushed forward to the right. "KURAMA!" called Kurama's teammate as he kicked the ball towards his captain. As the ball got closer to Kurama, Kurama raised his leg and gave the sphere a swift kick. The ball flew near the goal and the goalie jumped in hopes of stopping the ball, but alas, the ball had hit the net giving Kurama and his team the win.

The whistle blew and the practice match was over. "Good job team, especially you two," said the coach as he looked at Kurama and Daisuke. Both Kurama and Daisuke were breathing heavily as this match had really worn them out. "I will find a way to beat you, Kurama," said Daisuke as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, giving his rival a smile. "Yeah," said Kurama as he took a drink from his canteen, "in a million years."

After gathering their belongings from the lockers, Kurama saw that his make-up was running. "Is that make-up?" asked Daisuke as he changed into his usual gym attire. "Yeah," said Kurama as he knew that some of the guys at school would question him about it, "if those fan girls of mine saw what I was hiding, they would freak out and possibly kill me!" Daisuke laughed as he knew that Kurama was right as he had seen what Kurama's club has done whenever Kurama was around. "No worries, pal," said Daisuke as he placed a shoulder on Kurama, "Those girls are gonna have to wait until after I mop the field with ya."

After escaping the rabid fan girls, again, Kurama enter his home and saw Ryotaro, Nanako, and a slightly tired Yu in the living room having supper. "Kurama, you're home," said Nanako as she ran up to her brother and gave him a hug. Kurama returned the hug and sat at the kitchen table. "Fan girls after practice again," said Ryotaro as Kurama gave him a nod "I swear that some of them are stalking me again," said Kurama as he took a swig of water from his canteen.

After supper, Yu and Kurama were heading off to bed when Yu asked, "Have you heard of the Midnight Channel?" Kurama looked at his cousin and said, "Of course, you look into a turned off television on a rainy night and at midnight, you are supposed to see your true love, right?" Yu nodded and went into his room and Kurama went into his own room. Kurama plopped down on his futon and immediately fell asleep.

Inside his mindscape, Naruto was sitting on a chair in the kitchen of the Dojima Residence he created in his mind when a large nine-tailed fox appeared. **"Those fan girls are crazy,"** said the fox as he walked up towards Naruto, **"at least you didn't pass out like the first time, kit."** Both Naruto and the fox shivered at that incident as they both remembered that the fan girls had torn his clothes and hair in a mad frenzy. "Yeah," said Naruto as he also remembered how he had found out that a few of the fan girls had even mailed their panties to him. **"Dojima-san was pissed when he found that out,"** said the fox as his laughter suddenly died down, **"something is coming, kit."**

Naruto saw the serious look on the fox and knew something was up. "It's about that Midnight Channel and those two deaths, isn't it?" asked Naruto and received a nod from his tenant. **"I don't know what it is yet, but it cannot be good,"** said the fox with a troubled look in his face. Naruto knew that Fox Kurama was right when it comes to bad feelings. "Let's just hope that this is just a feeling," said Naruto as the mindscape started to fade, allowing him to sleep.

Meanwhile, Yu was going over what had happened today and was still trying to wrap his mind around it. Yosuke convincing him to go inside the television world to get whatever had gotten Saki-senpai, awakening his persona, Izanagi, fighting Yosuke's shadow, and finally seeing Yosuke awaken to his persona, Jiraiya. Yu had a gut feeling that Yosuke's shadow wasn't the end of what was to come.

The next day, Kurama was working at the Amagi Inn at the desk when he got a phone call. "Amagi Inn, how may we help you," said Kurama and was startled by Chie's panicked voice. "Kurama-kun! Have you seen Yukiko lately?" asked Chie with fear in her voice. "Calm down Chie-chan, Yukiko has been working at the inn all day," said Kurama as he saw Yukiko talking to a news crew, "well I have to get back to work. Talk to ya later."

As Kurama hung the phone, four people had walked up to the front desk. He first saw a man with black hair and a goatee smoking a cigarette walking casually. Next to the man were three teens around Kurama's age. One was a boy who had black hair up in a ponytail, wearing a green jacket and blue jeans with sandals, and he had a lazy look in his eyes. There was another boy who was quite portly, wearing a red long sleeve shirt and grey sweatpants, and he had red swirls on his cheeks. The last teen was a girl who was wearing a purple t-shirt with a matching purple skirt and she had a ponytail that reach all the way down to the base of her spine. Naruto immediately recognized these people; Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. _What are they doing here?_ Naruto thought as Asuma walked up to the desk.

"We would like a room here for a few days," said Asuma as he handed Naruto a photo, "We're looking for our friend as he went missing a few years ago." Naruto studied the picture and saw that it was him three years ago before he became Kurama Dojma. "I'm sorry, sir," said Naruto as he returned the photo to Asuma, "but I've never seen anyone like him before."

Asuma paid for the room and Naruto was leading them to their room when Ino said, "I'm Ino Yamanaka, what's your name?" Naruto looked at the blonde and his former friends and said, "My name is Kurama Dojima and if you haven't noticed, we have been getting some…attention as of late." Shikamaru saw how Kurama's eyes narrowed when he was looking at the news crew.

"What's up with your eyes?" asked Chouji as he was munching on some potato chips. "I have an eye condition called heterochromia iridium, where one eye is one color and the other is a different color," said Kurama looking at the group with his red and blue eyes, "some cases have it were the different eye color isn't a normal color."

Shikamaru looked at how Kurama was acting and before he could ask about the news media, Kurama opened a door showing them their room. "If you have any questions about your accommodations, you can ask any of the staff members, call the front desk, or talk with the manager," Kurama said as he quickly returned to the front desk. "He's quite a character," said Asuma as he ushered his students into the room, "He sort of reminds me of Sasuke."

As Kurama got behind the desk, Yukiko walked up to him and said, "I think that that reporter wasn't used to being on the field." Kurama jumped much to Yukiko's surprise as Kurama was always somehow making her jump. After Kurama calmed himself down, Yukiko asked about the new guests and that she had never seen them before. "Yeah," said Kurama with slight coldness in his voice, "Neither have I." Yukiko saw that he was lying, but she had never seen Kurama act like how she saw.

"Your shift's over so you can head on home," said Yukiko knowing that Kurama would need some time and space before she could question him. "But what about your mother, Amagi-san?" asked Kurama, "She just collapsed just yesterday." Yukiko smiled as she always knew Kurama to care about others before himself. "I'll be fine by myself," Yukiko said as she punched Kurama's time card, "besides, you could use it." Kurama knew that he couldn't argue with Yukiko and headed out the door. "Thanks, Amagi-san," said Kurama as he exited out the door.

Not wanting to waste any time that he had, Naruto ran towards the Dojima Residence. _"Why are they here, Kurama?"_ said Naruto as he opened his mental link to Fox Kurama. **"You're asking me, kit!?"** said Fox Kurama as he was just as surprised as Naruto, **"Something had to have happened for them to suddenly want you back."**

Naruto entered his home and saw Ryotaro at the doorway, nearly crashing into him. "Kurama," said Ryotaro motioning towards the kitchen, "We need to talk." As Naruto and his father sat at the table, Ryotaro pulled out a photo of Naruto and laid it on the table, it was the same photo that Asuma had shown Naruto.

"Where did you get that?" asked Naruto as if he already knew the answer. "I got it a work," said the detective seeing Naruto's reaction to the photo, "It was given to me by a woman with red eyes who had three teens with her, about your age maybe, and a dog that could put a German Shepard to shame." Naruto's eyes widened as his father mentioned those who gave him the photo. "I know them," said Naruto as leaned back on his chair, "That was Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Akamaru is the dog." Naruto then told Ryotaro how he met up with Asuma's team at the Amagi Inn. "Why are they looking for you after you were banished, never to return?" asked Ryotaro with his anger slightly rising. Neither of them could find an answer that they like and decided to wait until tomorrow.

In his room, Naruto was looking at the contents of the box that had pieces of his past. _I wonder why they're searching for me,_ Naruto thought as memories of the council exiling him as a bitter scowl ran across his face, _maybe the council changed their minds and want to kill me as a missing-nin._ Although Naruto would miss his loved ones, but they were too few for the former blond to want to return. _Iruka, the folks at Ichiraku's, Baa-chan, Konohamaru, Ero-sennin,_ Naruto thought as he counted off the ones he truly cared about, _I can't really leave everyone here in Inaba now…especially Nanako now that Mom had died._

Naruto could always tell when Nanako was emotionally hurt by their mother's death. Naruto also knew that Ryotaro was digging deeper and deeper in that case, wanting to catch the bastard who took Chisato away. If only the detective knew that Nanako need both him and Naruto to help her heal from her emotional pain.

Kurama put away his memory chest and journal before going to bed so that he could at least be ready for the massive headache coming his way tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 3

**Now that the Konoha shinobi are appearing, Kurama (Naruto) will now be more cautious as the ghosts of his past have appeared.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

"Yo" normal speech

_"Why?"_ thought/mind speak

**"I am a shadow."** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 3: The Priestess's Comeback

** *Inaba Police Station***

Kurama was pissed. After learning that Yukiko had vanished not too long after he had left the Amagi Inn and how both Yu and Yosuke were arrested for bringing weapons to Junes, Kurama was running to try and find Yukiko out of concern and find Yu and Yosuke to beat the crap out of them. Kurama enter the station to find Chie, Yu, and Yosuke in the front office. "YOU BAKAS!" shouted Kurama, grabbing the three teens and some police officers' attention, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TWO THINKING BRINGING WEAPONS TO A MALL; JUNES OF ALL PLACES!" Chie was frightened as she had never seen her best friend this mad before.

Kurama grabbed Yu by his shirt collar and held him against a nearby wall. "If I learn that you got Nanako involved with whatever you doing," said Kurama as his blue eye turned just as red as the contact for his other eye, "I don't care if my adoptive father is a cop, I'll beat the living crap out of you!" After calming down, Kurama let Yu fall to the floor and stormed out of the police station, getting scared looks from both criminals and a few cops. "What's his problem?" asked Yosuke as he helped Yu get up. Chie sighed and explained to the two boys about how Kurama never really had a family before the Dojimas had adopted him. Both Yosuke and Yu were shocked to learn about Kurama painful past.

Kurama was furiously running through the streets looking for Yukiko, but his thoughts of Nanako getting hurt fueled his rage. **"Calm down, kit,"** said the fox as he was trying to erase some of Naruto's thought, **"If not for me holding you back, everyone around us would be soiling themselves from the amount of Killing Intent you would have been emitting."** Naruto calmed himself down, knowing that without the fox; his former friends would have found him. "I'm sorry," said Naruto as the fox erased the last thought of anger, "It's just that if I lost Nanako…my only sister…" The fox spirit knew that Naruto and Nanako truly loved each other as brother and sister and his kit would be in so much pain if anything bad happened to the girl. **"I know, Naruto,"** said the fox as he gave Naruto a reassuring mental hug.

As Kurama looked through the alleys, a woman with red eyes wearing a white jacket over a red dress approached him. "Excuse me," said the woman grabbing Kurama's attention and revealed a photo of Naruto, "but have you seen the boy in this picture?" Kurama looked at the woman and then the picture. "No I haven't, miss…" said Naruto as he already knew who he was talking to.

"My name's Kurenai Yuhi," said the woman, "You seem to be looking for someone as well." Naruto knew that Kurenai would possibly find him out, but Kurama needed to find Yukiko. "I'm Kurama Dojima, and I'm looking for a girl in a pink floral kimono named Yukiko Amagi," said Kurama as he kept looking around for Yukiko, "I'm one of her friends and I also work for her and her family at their inn. Sorry, but I gotta run." Before Kurenai could offer assistance to Kurama, he had already ran off in a different direction. "Was that boy wearing make-up?' asked Kurenai as she continued her own search.

***Shadow World***

Yu and Yosuke were breathing hard as they carried Chie out of Yukiko's Castle. Both of the boys had to face Chie's shadow and witness Chie obtaining her persona, Tomoe. "I still can't believe that you have a secret crush on Kurama after what he did at the police station," said Yosuke as a bear-like creature looked at them. "Who's Kurama?" asked the bear. Yu explained to the creature who Kurama was and how he threatened him at the police station. Chie also explained how Kurama was always alone before the Dojimas had adopted him. The bear was surprised at how someone like Kurama could live after being alone for so long. "Hey, Sensei," said the bear grabbing Yu's attention, "What's 'adopted?' Is it a treat?'

***Dojima Residence***

The Dojimas and Yu were having dinner with a paralyzing silence hanging in the air. Kurama was giving Yu a cold glare from the corner of his eyes as Yu knew what Kurama was thinking. Nanako saw how her brother was giving their cousin a frightening glare and thought, _Why is Nii-san giving him that look?_ Nanako decided break the silence and asked, "Are you guys fighting?"

Everyone snapped out of their stupor and Kurama answered, "No, we're not fighting. We're just…not in a good mood today." Ryotaro followed the lead Kurama had given him and gave his own response. "Yeah," said the detective looking at his half eaten food, "I've been getting requests from some foreigners if I had seen a certain child." Yu just sat in silence wondering if he told them of what he and his friends were really doing, wondering if his uncle would scold him for getting involved with **his** case or if Kurama would give him another threat similar to the one from the police station or both.

"Oh, I met someone today," said Nanako as she pulled a picture from her pocket and showed the three in front of her. It was the same picture that has been plaguing Kurama and Ryotaro for a while. "What did this person look like?" asked Yu has he had seen the faces of his cousin and uncle. "Well," said Nanako as she gathered her thoughts, "It was a boy who looked like Nii-san and he was wearing a fuzzy jacket, and there was a giant white dog next to him." Naruto immediately knew who Nanako was talking about: Kiba Inuzuka and his canine partner, Akamaru. "Nanako," said Kurama as he looked at Nanako, "You know you're not supposed to talk to strangers, right?"

After dinner was finished, Naruto and Ryotaro were at the kitchen table looking at the photo that Nanako had shown them. "I know the boy the dog that Nanako told us about," said Naruto as he looked at his father who was in what Naruto called Detective Mode, "Their names are Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru and their from a ninja clan that works with dogs. Think of them as ninja versions of cops and their canine units, but scarier." Ryotaro was amazed beyond belief as Naruto explain the fight he had with them during the Chunin Exams. Naruto also explain about Shino's clan being living hives for the bugs they can control and Hinata's clan special Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan. "You mean that there is a ninja clan that can see chakra, see through walls, and have a near 360 degree field of vision when this Byakugan is activated?" asked the detective going over the ability of the Byakugan, "Then that whole team can easily find anyone they want to." Naruto and Ryotaro both decided to call it a night as neither of them was in a mood to talk anymore.

***Amagi Inn, Two Days Later***

Kurama was sitting at the front desk we he saw Chie carrying Yukiko walk through the front door. "Yukiko," Kurama called out as he leapt from behind the desk and hugged the tired Yukiko with tears forming in his eyes, "Where were you?" Yukiko saw the tears and weakly returned the hug. "I'm really sorry for worrying you, Kurama-kun," said Yukiko as she mentally added, _"So you have been worrying as much as Chie had told me."_

"Excuse me," said a male voice grabbing the attention of the three teens. In front of them was a man wearing a green shirt with the sleeves torn off and wearing matching green sweatpants. "I do not mean to interrupt your youthful reunion," said the man in front of them, "but my students and I have a room on reserve and we will be staying here for quite some time." Naruto mentally face palmed and thought, _Dear God, not them._

Kurama wiped the tears on his face and eye while being careful about his contact. "Sorry, sir," said Kurama as he let go of Yukiko and walked towards the man, "She was missing for quite some time, and even though she's my boss's daughter who sometimes is my boss, I still look at her as if she was an older sister to me." The man began to shed tears and said, "To worry about someone as if they were your own flesh and blood sibling is one of the greatest things of the youthful spirit!" The three teens sweat dropped at the man's actions. "Um, name?" asked Yukiko as she let go of Chie's shoulder and stood on what strength she had. The man snapped out of odd behavior and said, "Maito Gai."

Before Kurama could give Gai the key to the room, a loud roar was hear outside. "Chie, get Yukiko to her room," said Kurama as he and Gai was running towards the door, "I'll take care of this." Kurama ran out the doors to see a grey-haired male teen with a jacket hanging over shoulders, looking like has was about to attack, and three other teens. One was a male teen that looked like a smaller version of Gai with the difference was the nose structure. There was another male teen with white eyes wearing a white long sleeved shirt and brown pants. The other was a female teen with her brown hair in a pair of buns and she was wearing a pink t-shirt and red pants.

"Kanji!" called Kurama getting the grey-haired teen's attention. The teen looked at Kurama, dropped his arms to the side, and said, "Sorry, Kurama-senpai." The other three looked at Kurama as he walked up to them. "Sorry about Kanji-kun," said Kurama, "He can be a bit sensitive about…certain subjects. I'm Kurama Dojima by the way." The three teens bowed and introduced themselves. "I'm Neji Hyuga," said the white-eyed teen. "Tenten Hirazi," said the girl with the buns in her hair. "And I am Rock Lee, personal apprentice of Maito Gai," said the clone, "Your friend here clearly lacks a bit in youth, but with mine and Gai's help, he will be able to be as youthful as the springtime."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't immediately throw you out." Gai saw this and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Please forgive my students," said Gai as he motioned his team into the inn, "we're not from around here. It won't happen again." As Gai entered the inn, Naruto knew that his days as Kurama have just gotten more difficult.

***Amagi Inn; Hot Springs***

"This water is wonderful," said Ino as she rested her back against one of the rocks, "If we weren't looking for Naruto, would stay here forever!" The door open as Tenten walked in with her hair down and stepped in the springs. "Sorry I'm late," said Tenten, "Lee would have gotten in a fight with one of the locals if one of the workers hadn't stopped it. I think his name was Kurama."

"I've met Kurama," said Kurenai as she and Hinata waded towards Ino and Tenten, "he was looking for the owner's daughter. I asked him if he had seen Naruto, but he said that he had never him. I also noticed that he was wearing make-up." The girls were confused about that; a guy wearing make-up? "Maybe the guy's an actor and he just forgot to remove the make-up?" said Hinata, "Doesn't he go to school here?" The kunoichis were talking to each other until Yukiko and Chie walked in and stepped into the springs.

"These springs always feel good after a long day," said Chie, "I'm sure Kurama-kun would love to take a dip in here once it's the guy's turn." Kurenai turned to face Chie and Yukiko and said, "Excuse me, but we've been hearing a lot of things about Kurama Dojima. Mind if you tell us about him."

"Well," said Yukiko as she let the warm rock behind her heat her back, "Kurama-kun is very kind, he's in the soccer team, and he's really popular. He has his own fan club." Chie sighed and said, "Those girls are crazy for someone like Kurama-kun. I still remember the time he found out that one of his fan girls had stolen his gym shorts." Yukiko followed with her own sigh and said, "I still remember the all-out brawl when Miaki somehow got a picture of Kurama without his shirt."

"Another thing about Kurama is that he's very protective of his little sister, Nanako," said Chie as she sunk in further in the water until it was up to her shoulders, "Even if Kurama's adopted, he is almost as protective, if not more, than Dojima-san when it comes to Nanako."

"Kurama's adopted?" asked Ino. "Kurama was part of a huge family," said Chie until a scowl ran across her face and stood up, "but his so-called 'loving' family was just using him for his inheritance and abused him! His birthdays were worse!" Yukiko carefully stood up and placed a hand on Chie's shoulder, calming the brunette. "But he now has a real family," said Yukiko, "Dojima-san and Nanako-chan love him as if Kurama really was one of their own." The girls continued talking as Kurenai let her thought go around her head.

_Kurama almost sounds like Naruto,_ Kurenai thought to herself, _if only Naruto was that lucky, then maybe he would have to deal with the village's ignorance._ Even with her thoughts, the red-eyed woman was wondering **if** she and the other Konoha nin would ever find Naruto. _Naruto,_ Kurenai thought as she left, _wherever you are, please know that we are truly sorry for what you had to go through._

**I wanted to say for the record that everyone that knows Kurama (Naruto), except for the Dojimas, has only been told about how Kurama was from an abusive family. Aside from the Dojimas and Naruto himself, no one knows the truth about Kurama. Yes, Team Kakashi will make their appearance soon.**

**Ja Ne**


	5. Chapter 4

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

"Yo!" normal speech

_"Damn!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Boo!" **demon/shadow speak

Chapter 4: Spies and the Past of Pain

** *Yasogami High Class 2-2***

Kurama was sitting in class as he was thinking of what Ryotaro had told him to do: spy on Yu and his friends. The two didn't like the idea, but the detective didn't want to waste time or man power babysitting his own nephew. Kurama really hated the fact that he was going to spy on not just Yu, but his best friend, Chie, and Yukiko, his boss's daughter and second in command.

Naruto had just told Ryotaro about his encounter with Team Guy and explained how the two look-alikes were taijutsu experts, Neji having the Byakugan, and Tenten being a possible spy for the Leaf ninja. Both of them really didn't like the idea of Tenten being a possible spy and were contemplating on whether or not have Yu in on the secret. The detective also wanted Naruto to keep an eye on Yu after discovering the Midnight Channel last night as Ryotaro had suspicions of his nephew being involved with the case.

Class had started when Mr. Morooka, the homeroom teacher, walked in with a girl with her hair in buns following him. "Alright class, it seems that we have another new student," said the teacher. The girl walked up and introduced herself. "Thank you Mr. Morooka, I'm Tenten Hirazi," said the girl as she then took her seat next to Kurama. Classes continued as Kurama had tried to fight the urge of knowing he was right about Tenten being a spy.

After classes, Yu and his friends were heading out the gate when they saw Kurama waiting for them. "Hey, Kurama-kun," asked Yosuke as he remembered about the threat that Kurama had given Yu. "Look," said Kurama as he sighed, "I want to apologize for my behavior at the police station the other day. It's just that after losing Mom, I began fearing the worst for the family that gave me what I really needed to have a real life. Yu, you may not know it or unless either Chie or Yukiko-san told you, I never really had a family before the Dojimas. I even had trust issues as people had taken advantage of me just so they could be my 'friend.' I'm willing to withhold my promise, if you'll forgive me." Yu looked at his cousin and gave him a smile. "You were just looking out for Nanako, and to be honest, I probably would have done the same thing if I had the life you had," said Yu as he reached out his hand and Kurama returned the hand shake. Unbeknownst the group, they were being watched by Tenten.

"So that Kurama guy had a life like Naruto's," said Tenten as she remembered when she would see the blonde get beaten as a child by the villagers. She snapped out of her thoughts as she saw the group leave. She followed them to a textile shop and Kurama was just waiting out in the doorway. _What other similarities to Naruto does Kurama have,_ thought Tenten as she peeked from a nearby alley.

Kurama was waiting outside of the Tatsumi Textile when a young boy with a blue hat walked out of the store. "Excuse me," called Kurama as the boy turned to face Kurama, "could you tell that girl over there to stop following me, I have enough fan girls already." As soon as the boy turned around, Tenten walked out of the alley and ran away. "You knew she was following you?" asked the boy as he faced Kurama. "I've been stalked, chased, and maybe even felt up by my many fan girls so it's no surprise that she was following me since back at the high school," said Kurama as he let out a smirk on his face, "Name's Kurama Dojima." The boy gave a slight bow and said, "I am Naoto Shirogane, and I'm helping out with the murder mysteries." Kurama knew that with the Detective Prince looking into the mysteries, things could get out of hand. Kurama waved a good-bye to Naoto as the boy left to find more clues.

***Amagi Inn***

Tenten return after being discovered by Kurama and told everyone about how Kurama had a life similar to Naruto's. Shikamaru was trying to piece the data together. _Both Kurama and Naruto had similar experiences in their childhood, _thought Shikamaru, _Kurenai-sensei also mentioned that Kurama wears make-up._ The genius couldn't shake off the feeling that Naruto was close by.

***Dojima Residence***

Kurama entered his home out of breath as his fan girls had found him at the temple and he had no choice but to bail after learning that whoever was behind the kidnapping targeted the children of those who were somehow related to the Yamano/Nametame Scandal. Nanako saw her brother and gave him a hug. "Kurama," said Nanako as she looked up at her brother, "You're home."

Kurama was glad to see his little sister and returned the hug and said, "Those crazy fan girls may not like it, but you are the Official Kurama-approved President of the Kurama Fan Club, Imoto." Nanako beamed a smile as how her own brother had made her the President of his personal fan club. _At least Nanako isn't like those demonic fan girls,_ thought Kurama before hearing a growl inside his head, _No offense._

"Kurama," said Nanako breaking from the hug, "We had two visitors today." Kurama took his shoes off and said, "Probably those psycho fan girls of mine." Nanako handed her brother the picture that has been plaguing both her brother and father. "One was a girl with pink hair and the other was a man about Daddy's age wearing an eye patch and he was reading an orange book," said Nanako as Kurama looked at her with complete dread. _Sakura and Kakashi,_ thought Naruto remember the beating he had gotten from the pink-haired banshee, _guess the whole gang is here then._

Nanako saw the distraught look on her brother and knew that those people she had seen before had to be from Naruto's past. "Naruto," said Nanako as she sadly hugged Naruto as tears began to form in her eyes, "are going to leave me and Daddy." Naruto was taken aback as the thought of leaving those that had given him everything he needed for those who had only given him what he wanted when had had to prove his worth to them. "No, Nanako," said Naruto as he hugged his precious sister, "They will never take me away from you. I would never abandon you or our father."

***Samegawa Flood Plain***

After Nanako had calmed down, Kurama decided to take her to the flood plain and play with her at the nearby playground. Kurama was pushing Nanako on the swings when the two were approached by two male teens. One teen was wearing a black t-shirt and blue jean shorts and had bluish hair with bangs over the sides of his face and the back made Nanako think of a duck. The other had very pale skin and was wearing a black t-shirt that had a picture of a skeleton on it and black jeans. "Excuse us," said the pale teen as he showed Nanako and Kurama a picture of Naruto, "but my friend and I here are looking for the dobe in this picture. Have you seen him?"

Naruto didn't recognize the pale teen, but he did recognize the other who was with him: Sasuke Uchiha, the Civilian Council's 'hero and legacy.' Naruto wanted to punch the Uchiha brat for causing him to be hated, but he also want to thank the teme for giving Naruto his life as Kurama. "I can't say that I have seen the child," said Kurama with slight venom in his voice, "but then again, we hardly know you two."

Nanako had gotten off the swing and hid behind her brother as she had a feeling that the two teens could cause trouble. "Sorry," said the duck-haired teen, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha and this is my associate, Sai." The pale teen bowed towards Kurama. "My name's Kurama Dojima and this is my little sister, Nanako Dojima," said Kurama as he held Nanako's hand, "and we were about to head off to Junes."Nanako wanted to play on the swings more, but she couldn't pass up a trip to her favorite mall.

As Sai and Sasuke watch the two Dojimas leave, Sasuke was thinking of how he was somehow responsible for what had happened to Naruto.

_Flashback_

**_*Konohagakure, Three Years Ago*_**

_Sasuke and the other members of the Konoha 11 were sitting in a room that Tsunade had summoned them to. After hearing about the execution of Danzo and a few members of the Civilian Council as well as the disbanding of the Civilian Council and ROOT, many of the rookies were wondering what was going on. Before anyone could ask, a woman with blonde hair in two small ponytails and was wearing green jacket that barely contained her assets entered. "I'm guessing you all are wondering why I called you here," said the woman as she studied the group in front of her._

_The woman snapped her fingers and one after another, masked men and women were bringing in stacks of files and setting them on the table that was present. "Lady Tsunade," said a pink-haired girl looking at the files in front of her, "what are these?" The woman sighed as she gathered her thoughts. "These are file on one Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki," said Tsunade as she headed out the door after the last masked person set the last of the files on the table, "All of you are stay in this room and read every single file on Naruto. You will be provided food, water, and other few necessities, so take as long as you like."_

_Shikamaru was amazed that one lone person, let alone Naruto, could have so much information about themself. That was when Shikamaru realized something. "Did she just say Naruto Namikaze?" asked the dumbfounded genius, "As in Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage?" Everyone was shocked by what Shikamaru had said and all of them were thinking the same questions about their favorite knucklehead._

_As the Konoha 11 was reading the files, many of them couldn't believe what they were seeing. Medical records with detailed information from bruises to even near life-threatening conditions, false school records of Naruto's time in the academy which also revealed how some of the teachers even fixed the blonde's grades, and detailed reports on all of Naruto's missions that were fixed in order to make Sasuke the hero and Naruto nothing but a burden. Some of the rookies even had to reread what was already read just to see if they had missed anything._

_As time went on, many of the rookies were facing problems among themselves. Before even reaching a fourth of the many files, Hinata had to be restrained to a chair as she was flying into hysterics and trying to hurt Sasuke. A little after reaching a fourth of the stack, Sakura soon had to be restrained to keep from hurting herself after learning how her mother would sometimes have a hand in the blonde's torture; Ino soon followed. Choji had stopped eating the amount he usually eats as he was too sickened after file three or four as many of them were too shocked to keep count. No one was really themselves after the last file was read which contain the names of those who wanted Naruto to be exectuted for attempted murder of a fellow Leaf shinobi; Sakura's mother was one of them._

_It was a whole two weeks and most of the Konoha 11 had changed drastically after learning the truth about Naruto Uzumaki. Sakura had disowned her mother and dropped her surname so that she would never be associated with her ever again. Hinata was placed under suicide watch as she had suffered learning of what the village had done to her crush. Choji stopped eating as much as the thought of Naruto being given old or tainted food sickened him. But the one person who suffered the worst was none other than Sasuke._

_Sasuke placed himself in a mental hospital so that he can recover from being the false hero that the Civilian Council had molded him into. Even after personal sessions with Inoichi from therapy to even facing everything Naruto had to face, much to the reluctance of everyone at the hospital. The beatings were provided by Tsunade, the old and tainted food was provided by the Akimichi clan, and Sasuke even forced himself to live in Naruto's apartment during what was now known as the Uzumaki Treatment by those in the Anbu._

_Everyone's ordeal had a full two and a half years to fully recover from their depression. Everyone still kept an eye on both Sasuke and Hinata as they feared that the two could do something drastic. Still, no one in Konohagakure was ever the same since Naruto's banishment._

_Flashback End_

Sasuke sighed as he remembered everything that had happened in the past three years. "Naruto," said Sasuke as looked up in the sky with solemn concern and tears in his eyes, "I will find you, and I will do anything to get you to forgive me."

**Now the whole Konoha 11 are together looking for Kurama. As for why the ninja are having trouble is that no one has seen Naruto in over three years and a lot can happen in those three years. Yes, I did have Sasuke go through Naruto's hellish life, albeit short, as the Uchiha was practically given everything and didn't do a thing to earn any of it.**

**Ja Ne**


	6. Chapter 5

**This is Ryu Kotei saying thank you for following Mask of the Fox, your reviews, and your patience. I will say that it is getting close to the event involving Rise AND Kurama(Naruto). Thanks for baring with me.**

**Final note: I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

"Yo!" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"I am a Shadow"** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 5: The Emperor's Thug

** *Dojima Residence***

Kurama and Nanako had just returned from Junes to only find Ryotaro and Yu waiting for them. "I think it's time," said Ryotaro as he motioned for the other two Dojimas to the kitchen table. A paralyzing silence hung in the air as the Dojimas and Yu sat at the table looking at all of the photos of Naruto. "Who's this?" asked Yu as he wondered why he was involved.

Kurama took a damp cloth and wiped one of his cheeks, revealing three whisker-like marks on the cheek, and he then removed the red contact on his eye, revealing another blue orb. "I'm that boy that those people are looking for," answered Kurama as he looked similar to the boy in the picture with the exception of age and hair color. "Kurama's real name is Naruto Uzumaki, and he is from the same nation as those people who have been asking about him," said Ryotaro as he explained about how Naruto became a part of the Dojimas.

Nanako got down from her seat and climbed onto Naruto's lap to give her brother a hug. "You are going to help us, Yu," said Naruto as he looked at his adoptive cousin, "those people, Tenten including, are trying to find me, most likely wanting to bring me back to the Elemental Nations. I really like living my life as Kurama Dojima, the most popular guy at school whose fan girls do some pretty crazy things, but the most important fact is that Nanako is too important to me to leave behind." Yu saw how Nanako acted hearing that she was too important for Naruto to leave. Ryotaro was thinking of how Nanako would be in too much pain if she lost her older brother.

As Naruto, Ryotaro, and Nanko recalled their encounters with the people looking for Naruto, Yu decided to tell them of how he and Yukiko had spotted two of them.

_Flashback_

_Yu and Yukiko were waiting at the shrine as they were waiting for Kanji to appear until they saw a pink-haired girl waiting impatiently at the beef shop across the street. The girl was getting agitated so both Yu and Yukiko decided to go talk to her. "Excuse us," said Yukiko grabbing the girl's attention, "but are you waiting for someone?" _

_The girl looked at the two in front of her and sighed. "I'm waiting for my sensei so that we can continue looking for our friend, neither of you have seen him, have you?" said the girl as she showed Yu and Yukiko a picture of a boy with sun-blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker-like marks on his cheeks, "I'm Sakura, no surname."_

_Yu and Yukiko looked at the photo and saw that the photo was dated three years ago. "Sorry if the photo is dated," said a silver haired man wearing an eye patch and a dark blue scarf covering his face reading an orange book, "but I'm afraid we don't have a more recent photo of Naruto." Sakura looked at the man and said, "Kakashi-sensei, we're supposed to be on a mission to find Naruto and you're still late for the meeting point!" Yu saw Chie and Yosuke running up the street and said, "Sorry for bothering you, but our friends are right there. We hope you find your friend soon."_

_Flashback End_

"That was Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno you just talked to," said Naruto as he looked at Yu, "I wonder why Sakura had dropped her surname?" Ryotaro looked at Yu and then at Naruto. "Is there anything we should know about them?" asked the detective and received a nod from his son. "Don't believe that eye patch Kakashi is wearing, he has both eyes. The eye he covers is his Sharingan eye, which allows him to copy any jutsus that he sees and at times mimic what the person sees," said Naruto as he talks about Kakashi, "As for Sakura, I don't know how she would have changed. Normally she drools over Sasuke-teme instead of her own training. She could be like Tenten, serving as a spy."

The Dojimas then looked at Yu with each of their own looks; Ryotaro's look was that 'don't-say-anything' look, Naruto's was that 'say-anything-and-you-will-die' look, and Nanako's was that 'please-don't-say-anything' look with the feared puppy dog eyes. _Anything but those eyes,_ thought Yu as he looked at Nanako cursing whoever had invented such a look. "We need you to keep this a secret, Yu," said Naruto as his blue eye turn red, "**You would not like what happens if you tell them."**

***Yasogami High, The Next Day***

Kurama and Daisuke were in the locker rooms showering after their victory at a soccer match against another school. "Man," said Daisuke as he was letting the sweat and soap get washed off his tired body, "We've gotten a lot of new students in the past month." Kurama looked at Daisuke and asked what he meant.

"I mean first it was your cousin," said Daisuke holding up his hand counting, "Then it's that Tenten girl. Now those other three, um, what were their names, again?" Kurama wrapped his towel around his waist and said, "You mean Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai?" Daisuke nodded as he started drying himself off and said, "Yeah, that Sai person gives me the creeps."

Kurama had just walked out the locker room, clothed and with his make-up on, when he saw Sakura approach him. "You must be Kurama," said Sakura as she reached out a hand. Kurama shook the offered hand and said, "Yes, those fan girls of mine won't stop drooling over me. I can only imagine what they do when they think of me." Sakura saw Kurama shiver at the thought and said, "Well, you are a knockout and your eyes have that mysterious aura about them."

Kurama went to his shoe locker with Sakura following him. The brunette was about to open his locker, but he stopped as he felt something was off. Sakura looked around and saw a mob of fan girls wearing t-shirts with Kurama's face and holding flags. "THERE'S KURAMA-KUN!" cheered one girl as the mob soon charged towards Sakura and…

"Kurama?" asked Sakura, only to find the brunette absent. After getting trampled by the mob, Sakura got up and dusted herself off. "Was I really that crazy?" Sakura asked herself, examining the shoeprints on her body. She then opened Kurama's shoe locker and pulled out…a pair of pink painties with teddy bears printed on them. "Sorry," said a girl wearing the same t-shirt as the fan girls, "those are mine. I wanted to give them to Kurama-kun so that he can have a piece of me."

"Why the hell would Kurama collect panties?" asked Sakura, "He must be a huge pervert." The fan girl didn't take what the rosette had said to kindly and said, "He's not a pervert!" Sakura soon found herself on the floor holding herself after the girl had kicked her. "This…sucks," said Sakura as she cringed from the pain from getting kicked between the legs, "Now I know…how guys feel after this."

***Junes Food Court***

Yu was remembering the promise that he made with the Dojima about Kurama being Naruto when Yosuke snapped him out of his thoughts. "Hey," said Yosuke, "Are we going to save Kanji, or what?" Yu nodded his head and the team left towards the electronics department. Unbeknownst to the group, their conversation was caught by Sasuke who followed them. At the electronics department, Sasuke saw that the group was in front of one of the televisions on display and watched with surprise as the group had just gone into the television. _Can people here use genjutsu here?_ Sasuke thought as he walked towards the television and tried to place his hand through the television, but he hand was met with resistance, _What the hell?_

***Yomenaido Bookstore***

Kurama was looking through a book about how the psychological masks that everyone possesses and how to deal with them when Kakashi walked up to him. "You must be Kurama," said Kakashi as he grabbed a book on dogs and dog breeds, "Tenten has told us about you." Naruto's heart had stopped and tried not to show it. _Did they find out!?_ Naruto thought when thought of Nanako crying like mad as Naruto was being dragged away by the Leaf ninjas.

"She saw your soccer match and said that your skills were really impressive," said Kakashi as he turned the page of the book he was looking through. Naruto let out a mental sigh as it wasn't what he thought Kakashi was talking about. "I'm not **that** great," said Kurama as he set his book down, "I'm only rivaled by my own teammate, Daisuke."

Kakashi looked on another shelf while still holding to the book he was look at before and gasped. Both Naruto and Fox Kurama started to sweat buckets. "They carry the author's edition of Icha Icha Paradise!" cheered Kakashi causing both Naruto and the fox to face plant. Kakashi went up to the cashier and paid for the two books. "Sorry Kurama," said Kakashi as he headed out the door, "I gotta start on my new book!" Inside Naruto's mind, Fox Kurama let out a sigh of both relief and disappointment. **"He's Konohagakure's greatest ninja,"** said the fox face palming, **"and he's is as perverted as that book's author."**

***Shadow World***

Yu and his group had just gotten out of the Steamy Bathhouse carrying Kanji after facing Shadow Kanji and his two Guys and witness Kanji's shadow becoming his persona, Take-Mikazuchi. "I thought Kurama-senpai would be here with you guys," said Kanji as he looked around the group. Yu paled at the thought of Kurama beating the crap out of him, which didn't go unnoticed by Yukiko. "Hey, Yu," said Yukiko grabbing the silver-haired teen's attention, "Something happened between you two?" Yu sighed and told Yukiko about how Kurama threatened him at the police station. "Wow," said Kanji with a surprised look on his face, "I've never seen Kurama-senpai threaten anyone, he's normally a nice guy." As he carried Kanji, Yu was beginning to wonder about his adoptive cousin and who he really is.

***Amagi Inn***

"So you're saying that theses teenagers just walked **into** a television?" asked Kurenai as Sasuke told them of what he had seen in Junes. Ino did the hand seals of her family's Mind Transfer Jutsu and looked into Sasuke's mind. "He's telling the truth," said Ino after canceling the jutsu, "They just climbed in the television set." Now the ninjas were baffled thinking that these teens could possibly be capable of using chakra.

"Let's not get side tracked from our mission," said Asuma as he flicked the television off, "Finding Naruto is still top priority." Shikamaru set his Go piece and asked, "But what if this somehow is involved with Naruto. I mean, Jiraiya's file said that Naruto was relocated to a friend's house somewhere in Inaba. Maybe that group has something to do with Naruto." Tenten looked at Shikamaru explaining his theory and asked, "Then what about that Kurama guy?"

Kakashi was reading his new Make-Out book and decided to step in the conversation. "Maybe Kurama Dojima is just a regular guy who wears make-up and has heterochromia iridium," said Kakashi as he turned a page of his perverted book, "Then again, maybe Kurama does have something to do with Naruto as he had a childhood similar to Naruto's." As everyone was talking about Kurama, the television turned on to reveal a hazy yellow screen, grabbing everyone's attention. "Asuma," said Gai as he looked at the television as the screen faded to grey, "You did turn the TV off, right?" Asuma blinked in amazement and said, "Yes…I did."

**The Konoha Ninja have now seen people walk into TVs and televisions turning on after being turned off. What's going to happen now! I had to add that moment with Sakura as in a way she did deserve it. Rise and Kurama(Naruto) will soon be kidnapped and Kurama will gain his persona after the fight with it.**

**Ja Ne**


	7. Chapter 6

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"PERSONA!" normal speech

_"Why me?"_ thought/mind speak

**"I am a Shadow."** demon/shadow speech

Chapter 6: Camping with Enemies

** *Amagi Inn***

It has been a few days after Kanji was found not too long after he had mysteriously vanished and Kurama was still thinking on how the time between the two was too short. Kurama wasn't really excited about the camping trip either, but he **really** didn't want to deal with the ninja that were staying in the Amagi Inn. _Go to the hell call a camping trip,_ thought Naruto as he was weighing his options, _or stay here with people who would drag me away from my family?_

Kurama was snapped out of his thoughts when Ino walk up to him in her yukata. "Excuse me," called Ino, "but the women's side could use more towels." Kurama grabbed the keys to the storage closet, unlocked the door, and grabbed some towels.

"You excited about the camping trip?" asked Ino as Kurama handed her the towels, "No school work for a few days sound nice." Kurama couldn't help but laugh at what Ino had said. "I don't know how _your_ school does their camping trips," said Kurama as he wiped the tears off his eyes, "but I have two words about _our_ school's camping trips: community service. We'll be picking up trash around the mountains all day." Ino pale at picking up someone's garbage all day in the hot sun.

Kurama laughed as he watched Ino walk away weeping about ruining her nails. The brunette returned to the front desk to see Yukiko and Chie enter with Yu holding many bags from Junes. "Please tell me the girls aren't cooking again," said Kurama as Yu pale as he took the bags into the kitchen, "May God have mercy on whoever eats the girls' cooking. If they're lucky, it'll just be sweets, but then again, the newspaper is going to have more people in the Obituary section."

***The Next Day***

After hiking along a mountain trail and picking up garbage, Kurama was fixing a meal for the group he was given. Unfortunately, his group had consisted of Sakura, Sai, Tenten, and Sasuke, the spies of Konoha. _I so want to poison this meal,_ thought Naruto as he saw both Chie and Yukiko put weird ingredients in their pot. **"I know what you're thinking, kit,"** said the fox, **"but that's going too far."** Both Naruto and Fox Kurama shuddered at the memory of trying their cooking as Naruto couldn't even force himself to swallow the first and only bite of the food he had from the girls. Even the demon fox wouldn't dare touch their cooking after feeling that he got poisoned after the first bite…

_Flash Back_

_"Come on Kurama-kun," said Chie as she and Yukiko handed Kurama a bowl of…chunky purple…potato soup? Naruto looked at the bowl before with question and could have sworn he saw a purple fog and maybe…did something just move! __**"That doesn't look edible, kit,"**__ said Fox Kurama as even the putrid smell made the demon sick, __**"Something about this…soup?…is unholy, even to me."**__ Naruto wanted to back down…but he remembered that doing this was part of the deal he and the girls had made when Kurama Dojima was in a bind due to the fan girls._

This better be worth wearing Yukiko's clothes just to escape those hormonal fan girls,_ Kurama thought as he took a spoonful of whatever the hell it was and said, "Bon…appetite." Kurama swallowed the concoction and immediately began to struggle to keep himself from puking. _Hold it hold it hold it,_ Naruto thought as he repeated the mantra while he heard the fox puking in his mind. __**"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT SAGE IS THIS SHIT!?"**__ yelled Fox Kurama as he tried to help Naruto's body puke the demonic piece of food out, __**"DON'T FIGHT IT KIT! YOU WEARING A GIRL'S DRESS FOR A YEAR IS A WAY BETTER FATE THAN HAVING TO EAT THIS SHIT!"**_

_Unable to hold it any longer, Kurama leaned under the picnic table and puked before passing out. From that day forward, Naruto and Fox Kurama both agreed to NEVER eat the girls' cooking again for the rest of their lives._

_End Flash Back_

"Hey, Kurama," said Sakura snapping her chef from his thoughts, "How's living in Inaba?" Kurama looked at the pink-haired girl and said, "It's great, aside from the random moments of crime and people shouting, Inaba is really great." Tenten then raised her own question. "What do they normally gossip about?" asked Tenten as she looked at the town that the hill overlooked. "The usual crap," said Kurama stirring the curry sauce, "who's kid has the worst grade and other things they shouldn't get into."

"What was your childhood like," said Sai causing Kurama to stop stirring, "we've heard that it was quite interesting." Kurama looked at the pale teen with venom and said, "My childhood is none of your DAMN business." The hungry teens, minus Sai, heard the venom in Kurama's voice as Sai had just hit a nerve even before Kurama had even finished making their meal. "You'll have to forgive Sai," said Sasuke gritting his teeth while trying to calm their chef down, "he was a shut-in for all his life and he DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT ASKING PERSONAL QUESTIONS." Kurama slowly returned to stirring the curry while his eyes still shot venom. "Well Sasuke," said Sai as he turned his attention to the Uchiha, "now that he knows that I was a shut-in, it is only fair for him if he learns that your entire family was murdered by your brother, or how Naruto was always looked down upon and treated harshly because of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that was sealed inside of him."

Kurama jerked his arm, grunting in pain, causing the pot of curry to spill all over the ground. "Kurama!" called Sakura and Tenten as Kurama grabbed his arm. "My arm," said Kurama as he dropped the ladle, "I think I'll head to the medical tent. I might have gotten a really bad cramp." As Kurama left, the four members of his group were now looking at the ruined meal, now knowing that they will starve as they silently cursed Sai for bringing up Naruto's past.

Yu was looking at the fallen Yosuke and then the curry that had fell his friend. The curry was emitting a purple fog and Yu could have sworn he saw something move. The girls who made this concoction were looking at him with sharp eyes, forcing Yu to take a bite of the meal that the Devil himself would never even dare look at. For a split second, Yu saw the Grim Reaper playing a card game with a man with sun-blonde hair and a woman with bright red hair talking about a Naruto Uzumaki.

"Is that curry?" asked a boy wearing goggles with dark lenses as he looked at the large pot. "Y-y-yes, Shino," said Chie as she watched the boy get some rice and poured the curry on the rice. Shino scooped up some rice and curry and ate it as Yu's group watched in anticipation.

The boy just sat there…not moving. _Please tell me we did not just kill someone with our cooking,_ Chie thought as she began to sweat bullets. Shino then move and much to the surprise of everyone, the boy was eating the curry like there was no tomorrow. After finishing the plate, Shino looked at the girls and asked, "May I have some seconds? This curry is the best I've ever had in my life."

At Hinata's group, Kiba, Hinata and Kanji were eating the riceballs that the Hyuga heiress made when Shino showed up with a large pot that had purple fog rising up from it. "What the hell is that smell?" asked Kanji as Shino began to eat the curry, "Is it from THAT!" Shino nodded and continued eating the curry.

"Um, Kanji-kun," said Hinata as she handed the grey-blond boy a photo of Naruto, "h-h-have you seen this person?" Kanji looked at the picture for a moment and gave it back. "I haven't seen anyone like him. What's he like?"

"Naruto was a great person," said Kiba, "Even though he didn't do much, he has changed a lot of people's hearts. In fact, if it wasn't for Naruto, our home would have been destroyed by a psycho." Kanji was confused at that part; how could a little 12 to 13 year old boy stop a psychotic killer? "In fact," said Hinata with a light blush on her face, "if Naruto-kun hadn't showed me what strength was about, I would have been able to face my cousin." Kanji couldn't help but think that this Naruto person was like Kurama.

***The Four Days Later***

Kurama was looking at the photos of Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji get kicked off a small cliff side into a small watering hole which served as puking grounds for a Mr. Morooka. _Best camping trip ever,_ thought Kurama as he was walking by a tofu shop. Near the tofu shop, Kurama saw Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji waiting outside the shop, as if planning something. "Hey guys," said Kurama as he walked towards the three teens, "what's up?" Yu saw Kurama and told him about how he and the others were going to warn Rise Kujikawa about what has been happening lately.

_Rise?_ Naruto thought as memories of the girl flashed through his mind, _Rise's here?_ Rise Kujikawa was an average girl who had trouble fitting in, at least, before she became a pop idol. Rise was the only one outside of the Dojima family that made Naruto feel…loved. Naruto had given up on Sakura when he was dragging Sasuke back, and he knew about Hinata's crush on him but he didn't feel the same about her. Rise was special that Naruto would even risk telling her his secret…and he was planning to, but he never got a chance to tell her when she left for the life of a pop idol. _She always did have a beautiful voice,_ Naruto thought as he remembered her singing on the floodplains, _I wonder if she remembers me though._

"Mind if I join?" asked Kurama holding his chin, feigning deep thought, "I could use some tofu for tonight's meal." Yosuke whispered something into Yu's ear. "I don't know if could help us," said Yosuke as he received a nod of agreement from Kanji. "Maybe I could tell Dad about how you guys were swimming in puke during the camping trip," said Kurama as he held up his camera. "You wouldn't " said Yu dreading the embarrassment of never being able to feel clean ever again. "You and I both know that I have Dad's cell number on speed dial," taunted Kurama holding out his cell phone. The trio then bowed their heads in defeat and let Kurama lead their team into the tofu shop. _Here I come,_ Naruto thought as he entered the tofu shop, _Tofu Hime._

**Rise finally enters the storyline with Naruto knowing her before she became a pop star. I know some of you Naru/Hina fans are sad (Don't get me wrong, I like Naru/Hina), but Rise makes a better girlfriend in this story. I had to add the Mystery Food X moment with Naruto and the demon fox and instead of that one girl (I forgot her name) I had Shino like the food that the Devil himself wouldn't touch. It is getting closer to Naruto and Rise getting kidnapped and I am not going to have Yu and the group fight all 3 shadows at the same time. Thank you for your reviews by the way!**

**Ja Ne**


	8. Chapter 7

**This is the big moment of NarutoxRise you have been waiting for as well as the start of Naruto's kidnapping.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"I am a Shadow."** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 7: Foxy and the Celebrity

** *Marukyu***

Kurama and his three friends walked into the tofu shop and saw a girl with dark maroon hair working at one of the shelves. "Hello," said Kurama as he approached the girl, "Tofu Hime." The girl turned and was surprised at seeing Kurama. "Foxy!" said the girl as she hugged Kurama tightly, "I've missed you so much! Not a day goes by without me thinking about you." The girl began to cry into Kurama's chest as the brunette returned the hug.

"You know each other?" asked Yu, causing the girl to calm down and dry her eyes. "Yes," said Kurama ignoring the tear stains on his shirt, "I've known Rise before she became an idol." Kurama counted down on his hands: 3…2…1. "YOU KNOW RISETTE!" said Yosuke in completely shock as Kurama started laughing at Yosuke's incoherent babble.

After Yosuke calmed down, Yu told Rise of what has been happening lately while Kurama order tofu, with Rise on his mind. **"I know what you're thinking, kit,"** said Fox Kurama, **"Go for it."** Before Rise had left, Naruto wanted to tell Rise that he loved her as well as tell her about his secret but he was too late. _I don't know,_ Naruto thought as he examined the tofu, _what if she hates me for lying to her. What if she hates me because I hold a demon in my gut? What if…_ A loud roar erupted from Naruto's mind, signaling that Fox Kurama was mad.

**"Enough what ifs! Didn't you hear her, Kit," **said the demon fox, slamming three of its nine tails, **"She missed you and she has thought about you over the past three years! Go to her, tell her how you feel, and go from there!"** Naruto finished gathering the tofu and went to the register and thought, _Okay, here goes nothing._

After paying for the tofu, Kurama handed the bag to Yu and said, "You three go on home. I…want to talk to Rise for a while, and knowing Dad, he would be here shortly if not even sooner with a celebrity involved." After the three left, Kurama turned to face Rise and could help but notice how beautiful she looked; the handkerchief on her head made her more beautiful, but he wanted to see Rise's fiery hair. "Remember three years ago when I wanted to talk to you before you left," said Kurama with a nervous tone before rise put a finger to Kurama's lips. "I know you wanted to tell me something," said Rise as she placed her hands on Kurama's face and pulled him closer to hers.

Naruto felt fire in his mouth as Rise put her lips to his in a gentle, yet passionate, kiss. The brunette returned the warmth as the two stood there in each other's embrace. _She tastes like smooth milk and honey,_ Naruto thought as could have sworn he heard the demon fox saying something about growing up so fast. _He tastes like the perfect bowl of ramen,_ Rise thought as she chuckled, _not too salty, not too bitter…so perfect._

Outside, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata saw the scene and couldn't help but smile at the loving scene and yet…feel jealous for some reason. Even further was Yu, Kanji, and a crying Yosuke who was cursing Kurama for getting a kiss like that from the great Risette. Everyone could have sworn that the scene changed from a tofu shop to a beautiful moonlit night in the forest under the hypnotic sight.

Kurama and Rise ended the kiss as the two let go of each other. "I've always thought of you," said Rise as she gazed into Kurama's mismatched eyes, "Ever since we first met at the floodplains. I loved how sweet you were to me, how you were always there…that foxy smile of yours." Kurama let out a big foxy grin as Rise chuckled at the sight. Kurama lessened his smile and said, "I've always wanted to tell you that I loved you. At first I wasn't sure what it was and as I continued spending my time with you…that was when I found out that I loved you."

Kurama stayed with Rise so that he could spend time catching up on lost time. Everyone that was watching went on their way knowing that they had witnessed a beautiful moment. Yosuke cried, knowing that Rise was gone as no one couple he has seen could create such an image and said, "Damn you Kurama!"

***Three Hours Later***

Ryotaro and a man wearing a blue suit wearing with messy black hair were in the tofu shop working on the investigation of the kidnapping/murder case, but were surprised to see Kurama with Rise. "Ms. Rise," said Ryotaro, "I'd like to ask you some things, if you don't mind." Rise looked at the detective and said, "Is it about the kidnappings?" Shocked, the other man asked, "How do you know about that?" Rise told the two cops about how Kurama and his friends had dropped by and told her about the case.

"Foxy here never really talked about the rumors as much as the other three," added Rise looking at her date's father, "We also planned on having a date tomorrow." The man in blue looked Kurama and said, "Wow, Kurama, you just met her and she already asked you out on a date. Those fan girls of his are going to be pretty sore about that." Both Ryotaro and Kurama glared at the man who knew about the rabid fan girls. "Adachi!" scolded Ryotaro, "My son's love life and fans are none of YOUR business!"

***Dojima Residence***

Everyone was eating dinner when Nanako noticed the look on Kurama's face. "Did something happen, Nii-san?" asked Nanako as Ryotaro smiled. "Kurama has a big day tomorrow, what with him being in love," said Ryotaro as he took a bite out of the tofu, "Especially if his girlfriend is Rise Kujikawa." Nanako was ecstatic that her adoptive brother was dating Risette and hugged Kurama in joy.

After Yu and Nanako had gone to bed, Naruto and Dojima were sitting at the kitchen table as they told each other of what they both had learned from their visit with Rise. "So my nephew is involved in the case," said Ryotaro with a scowl on his face. "It did take a bit of…convincing, but that is what I learned," said Naruto as he told his father of the swimming hole incident.

"I proud to hear that you have told Rise how you felt about her," said the detective as he focused all of his attention towards Naruto, "have you told her about…it?" Naruto sighed as he knew what his adoptive father was meaning. "I…completely forgot after the kiss," said Naruto, "I just hope that our love would survive after telling Rise about _him_."

***The Next Day***

Kurama was at Junes with a disguised Rise as they were talking about everyday life. "You're quite attached to your little sister," said Rise after Kurama told her about Nanako. "She's the world to me," said Kurama with a hint of sadness in his voice, "After Mom had died, even though I was hit the worst, Nanako was still lost as I would sometime hear her cry at night before the both of us had fully recovered." Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a boy wearing dark glasses and a grey hoodie.

Before the boy could approach the couple, he was hearing screams of what all sounded too familiar. Kurama and Rise looked back and saw the mob of fan girls running towards the two of them. "Dammit!" cursed Kurama as he and Rise started to run, "I go on a date with the girl of my dreams and I still get mobbed by my fan girls!" The boy decided to follow the mob so that he could lose Kurama, knowing that the brunette could help him.

Kurama was carrying Rise on his back as the horde of rabid girls chased him. "You'd think that those girls would stop if they saw you dating me," said Rise as she was looking back at the girls behind them. As the couple exited Junes, Kurama suddenly tripped, causing the both to hit the concrete. Rise had lost her disguise and Kurama's make-up got scrapped off revealing three whisker marks of his cheek. Now the fan girls had gotten wild as they saw the damaged 'goods' and the one who was responsible: Rise. Kurama was panicking as his first date was ruined as he was thinking that the fan girls were now going to kill Rise and then possibly 'take care' of him. Rise didn't know what to do as she wanted to help Kurama get out of this situation.

Acting on impulse, Rise kissed the fallen brunette. The kissed immediately stopped the fan girls and shattered those who 'wanted' Kurama. The crowd had dispersed and Rise had ended the kiss. The two fallen teens looked into their eyes and kiss with elegant passion as both had felt each other's love for them. After the kiss, Rise saw the whisker marks on Kurama's cheeks.

"Your cheek," said Rise as she gently laid her hand on the exposed whisker marks, causing Kurama to reel back and covering the marks. Rise stood up and picked Kurama up from the ground, setting him on his feet. "Let's get you patched up," said Rise as she laced her fingers in Kurama's hands, "my love." As the two left the scene, the boy in the grey hoodie looked at the make-up on the concrete. "What are you hiding," said the boy as a tiny beetle crawled up his face, "Kurama."

As the two walked down the street, Rise saw that Kurama was deep in thought while holding his exposed cheek. "Kurama," said Rise as Kurama slowly looked at her, "whatever you're hiding, you can tell me whenever you feel like it." Kurama was surprised that Rise didn't immediately ask him about the make-up, but he was also saddened as he would have to tell her the truth about Naruto. _Soon you will learn,_ thought Naruto as he and Rise arrived at Marukyu

Outside Marukyu, Adachi had just taken a paparazzo that he had just arrested away when Chie saw Kurama and Rise walking down the street. "Rise-chan," said Chie grabbing the attention of the others that were with her, "what are you doing out here?" Rise looked at Chie and said, "I'm with my boyfriend, what did you think I was doing?" Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji looked and both Kurama and Rise with complete shock. "BOYFRIEND!" shouted Chie and Yukiko as they saw the famous idol wrap her arms around Kurama's shoulders. "C'mon Foxy," said Rise as she lead Kurama into the tofu shop, "let's get that scrape looked at."

As the couple entered the store, Yukiko was lost in thought while Chie was steaming on the inside. "Kurama's been acting weird lately," said Yukiko as the others noticed her. Chie snapped out of her stupor and realized that her best friend was right. "Yeah," said Chie looking at the group, "like the time at the police station when he threatened Yu." Kanji also noticed what the girls were saying. "Yeah," said the grey haired teen, "Kurama-senpai was really annoyed by this weird boy who talked about 'youth' and all that when I was about get into a fight with him." Yukiko told the group about how her latest guests may have something to do with Kurama's behavior. "We're going to have to keep a real good eye on Kurama," said Yu as he looked at his friends, "as well as those people.

***Marukyu, Rise's Room***

Rise was finishing putting make-up over the whisker marks on Kurama's face. "That red eye coloring is fake as well isn't it?" asked Rise with concern in her voice. Kurama walked to the window and closed the blinds and took out the contact to show Rise a pair of ocean blue eyes. Rise really wanted to know the truth about the teen in front of her, but she didn't have the courage to ask directly. After placing the contact back on his eye, Kurama looked at Rise and said, "This is all to hide from my past."

"Hide from your past?" asked Rise with wonder and slight fear. "The past I told you about…is a lie," said Kurama with a heavy heart as he was afraid of what might happened. Rise watched her boyfriend struggle with himself and thought, _ Is he afraid of something? Is he afraid of me?_

Awkward silence hung in the air until the doorbell rang and a voice called out for Rise. Rise went out of the door, leaving Naruto to think about what to say._ I had the ONE opportunity to tell her my secret,_ thought Naruto as he looked at the ceiling, _and I BLEW IT!_ The fox felt the pain in the boy's heart and said, **"Kit, I don't know what to tell you, but you tell her what you want to tell her. Tell her about you, about us, whatever and if things don't work well, I'm here for ya, kit."** Naruto's thoughts were soon interrupted by a muffled scream. "RISE!" called out Kurama as he ran out the room.

Outside of the tofu shop, Kurama saw the local delivery man and ran up to him. "Excuse me, sir," called Kurama startling the man, "I'm sorry, but have you seen Rise Kujikawa around here?" The delivery man pointed behind Kurama telling him that he saw something over in that direction. As Kurama turned around to chase whatever had his girl, he felt something grab his mouth and his vision had gotten blurry before he passed out.

**Naruto and Rise have finally told each other their feelings for one another after three long years.** **To bad the revelation of Naruto's secret was ruined by the kidnapper. How will everyone react to Naruto's dark thoughts?**

**Ja Ne**


	9. Chapter 8

**This is the start of the Kurama/Naruto Kidnapping moment. Kurama/Naruto will have his own dungeon as well as three ghosts from his past. Sasuke (the one before Naruto was banished) will be one of those ghosts.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

"What?" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"What?"** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 8: To Track a Fox

** *Dojima Residence, Early Morning***

Ryotaro was drinking his coffee while waiting for Kurama to get back from his date with Rise. Kurama had called the house saying that he may be a little later than normal, but he hasn't even showed up at all last night. Before Ryotaro got any more thoughts, his cell phone ran and he answered it. "Dojima here," said the detective. "Sir!" said the voice of his partner, Adachi, "Rise Kujikawa's been kidnapped!" Ryotaro feared the worst as a celebrity has now been kidnapped. "And also…" said Adachi with slight hesitation, "Kurama's gone missing as well."

Ryotaro's heart suddenly stopped after hearing that Naruto had vanished. _Was his cover finally blown?_ Ryotaro thought as he was thinking about the people that Naruto told him about. The father's mind was racing a mile per minute as thoughts of Naruto being dragged away from him and Nanako were flooding his brain. "Dojima?" asked Adachi's voice with concern in his voice, "are you okay?" Ryotaro snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Get all units searching for Miss Kujikawa and Kurama, we need to find them."

***Amagi Inn***

The Konoha 11 and their senseis were gathered in the room discussing what they had seen on the television last night. "So that was the Midnight channel," said Kurenai as she mentioned the rumors of the phenomenon. "Is that girl really going to *gulp* bare all?" asked Tenten as she remember seeing a girl with maroon hair in a golden two piece bikini. "I don't know," said Asuma standing outside smoking, "but everyone saw what was after that." None of the Konoha-nin could forget what they saw…

_Flash Back_

_After watching a girl announce that she was going to be stripping on live television, the Konoha ninja was surprised that the television seemed to have flickered from a strip club to a sewage plant. The scene continued to focus on the entrance until the sound of a child playfully roaring. Everyone was surprised to see who was making the sounds…Naruto._

_But something wasn't right about this Naruto: yes, Naruto would be older now, possibly 15 or 16, but this Naruto was at the age of five. He was also wearing a tan white shirt with a red spiral on the back, green shorts, and he had a blue mask of someone laughing. The only thing that was off about the attire was that the shirt and shorts were torn and dirty while the mask was near flawless with cracks coming down from the corner of the eyes._

_In his hand was a figurine about the size of an adult's hand in the form of a red fox with nine tails. Underneath the boy were other smaller figurines that looked disturbingly familiar. "Are those…us?" asked Kiba as he watched the young Naruto stomp on figurine that looked like Sasuke. Said Uchiha slightly paled at the sight and the thought of going through a death like that. Aside from breaking the figurines, it was all just innocent playing._

_"Otouto," said another voice as the camera then moved to the source of said voice…Kurama. He was wearing the Yasogami High School uniform along with a mask with a crying, distraught face. "Otouto, it almost time," said Kurama, watching the boy gently place the fox figurine on a flat rock, "Why don't you play inside while I get everything ready."_

_After watching Naruto go into the sewage plant, Kurama then faced the camera. "You know," Kurama started as he let out a long sigh, "me and my little brother have been stuck here for so long. At first we saw it as a home away from home…a place where we can be safe. But then…" Everyone saw the hesitation in Kurama's voice. "This place became nothing but a prison," said Kurama as he continued his speech, "a prison of pain and despair. We have met a couple of people who were like us…alone…hated because of something out of our control, but their friendship had unfortunately hurt Otouto. We have loved…only for it to hurt us. We have been loved…we were afraid of hurting ourselves. We are truly alone."_

_"That is why I'm going to try to get us out of here…away from this pain," said Kurama as he turned to face the sewage plant, "I can take the pain…but Otouto can't. Soon…we will be free." In a melancholic manner, Kurama entered the plant as the Konoha-nin watched with chills down their spines…_

_End Flash Back_

Shikamaru stepped out of the room in attempt to clear his mind while the others were planning on what to do when he saw a police officer approach him. "Excuse me," said the police officer as he brought out two photos, "but have you seen either of these teenagers in the pictures?" Shikamaru looked at the two pictures and saw that one of the pictures was a photo of Kurama and the other was a photo of the girl they had seen on the television. "We haven't seen the boy today," said Shikamaru studying the pictures, "but my friends and I just saw that girl on the television just last night." The officer looked at Shikamaru and said, "Impossible, both of these teenagers had vanished just last night."

As soon as the officer had left, Shikamaru went back into the room and told everyone about what he learned. "Impossible," said Shino, "I just saw them yesterday." Kurenai looked at the boy with curiosity. "Shino," said Kurenai, "you mean that somewhere between the time those two teenagers arrived at the tofu shop and midnight they just vanished?" The boy nodded and the shinobi were now wondering what to do in order to find Kurama as he would most likely be a connection to Naruto.

***Two Days Later***

Nanako was sitting on the swing set thinking of where her brother could be as he had never shown up from his date. She kicked her feet back and forth until a girl brown hair sat on the swing next to her. "Is something wrong?" asked the girl as she looked at Nanako. Nanako looked at the girl beside her and saw that the girl was a few years older than her. The girl was wearing a blue dress with a yin-yang symbol on the back and her eyes were a greyish white with no pupils.

"I'm Hanabi Hyuga," said the girl, "I'm here with my father, sister, and cousin. You see we've been looking for someone that my sister really cared for." Nanako looked to see a man in a blue suit with the same yin-yang symbol resting on one of the sleeves of the suit. "I'm Nanako Dojima and my brother's been missing for some time," said Nanako as she looked at Hanabi, "What's wrong with your eyes?" Hanabi chuckled and said, "Everyone in my family have eyes like these. It's in our genetics."

Ryotaro was walking through the flood plains when he saw Nanako at the swing set along with a girl that couldn't be no more than a few more years older than Nanako. He then saw a man in a blue suit with long black hair and pale eyes with no pupils. "Excuse me," said Ryotaro grabbing the man's attention, "I'm Ryotaro Dojima with the Inaba Police Force and I was wondering if you have seen this boy?" Ryotaro handed the man a photo of Kurama and the man looked over the photo. "I can't say that I have," said the man as returned the photo, "I'm Hiashi Hyuga and my daughters and their friends have been looking for a young boy as well." Ryotaro knew that this man had to be with the people looking for Naruto, but he never showed it and asked, "I've seen photos of this boy your friends have been looking for, but I've never heard of what he's like."

Hiashi sighed as he gathered his thoughts. "That boy has saved my family in ways that I'm not sure how I could ever repay him," said Hiashi as Ryotaro listened intently, "Before he graduated from the academy, Naruto Uzumaki was just a street urchin that everyone hated because of a forbidden secret. One day, Naruto saw my eldest daughter, Hinata, get bullied by some children and what does he do, he gets them to stop bullying Hinata by having them beat him instead. Ever since then, Hinata had a crush on the boy who saved her."

Ryotaro wasn't surprised that the bullies decided to beat Naruto in favoring of belittling a defenseless girl. "During a very important martial art event, Naruto was paired against my nephew, Neji," said Hiashi as he remembered the Chunin Exams, "My nephew had fallen into a dark path after my brother had died. He started to believe that everyone is controlled by fate the moment they are born. Everyone thought that Neji would win against Naruto hands down, but Naruto proved everyone, even Neji, wrong. As Neji was recovering, I handed my nephew a letter from his father and apologizing for not telling him the truth about his father. After that, I've been trying to change the ideals of the Hyuga Group to be rid of all of the Head and Branch family groupings. And it's all thanks to that boy."

Hiashi rose from his seat and called for his daughter. "It has been nice talking to you, Dojima-san," said Hiashi as Hanabi arrived next to him, "I wish you the best of luck in finding your son." Before Hiashi and Hanabi could leave, Ryotaro knew that Naruto need all the help he can get.

"Hiashi," called Ryotaro grabbing the attention of the Hyugas, "I would like for your friends to meet some people at the food court in Junes. Your youngest daughter can stay with mine for a while." Nanako walked over to her father, wondering what he was planning. "Nanako," said Ryotaro kneeling down to his daughter's level, "why don't you take your new friend to visit our home and play with her. Don't forget that you're not allowed in Kurama's room, alright. Your father and Hyuga-san have something important to take care of."

***Tatsuhime Shrine; A Few Days Later***

Yu and his friends had just got Rise into their group and were off to try and find clues on how to find Kurama when Ryotaro appear. "Dojima-san," said Yosuke as he and everyone else wasn't expecting to see him, "Dropping by to make a wish?" Ryotaro stood firm as he said, "I know that you all had a hand in the kidnapping case. Kurama told me everything and I know he's in that other world somewhere and _we_ are going to find him." There was no point in arguing with the detective as Yu and his friends decided to take him to the Shadow World.

***Junes Food Court***

The Konoha 11 and their senseis were waiting at the food court after Hiashi told them about someone who could help them find Naruto. Ryotaro and the Investigation team soon arrived. "You guys," said Sasuke as he recognized the team, "what are you guys doing here." Before anyone could answer, Ryotaro said, "We're going to help you find Naruto, but we may need your help with finding Kurama."

The detective then explained everything about how Kurama would know someone who knew Naruto. Rise stood up from her chair and said, "I'm not sure about Naruto, but my boyfriend is in trouble and he needs our help." Everyone then obtained the resolve to find their lost friend.

"Well," said a blonde boy in fancy attire drawing everyone's attention, "I'm Teddie." The Investigation Team followed Teddie's example.

"Yu Narukami."

"Yosuke Hanamura."

"Chie Satonaka."

"Yukiko Amagi."

"Kanji Tatsumi."

"Rise Kujikawa."

"Ryotaro Dojima."

The Konoha ninja decided to introduce themselves in their team formations.

"Kakashi Hatake."

"Sakura."

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Sai."

"Asuma Sarutobi."

"Shikamaru Nara."

"Choji Akamichi."

"Ino Yamanaka."

"Might Guy."

"Rock Lee."

"Neji Hyuga."

"Tenten Hirazi."

"Kurenai Yuhi."

"Hinata Hyuga."

"Shino Aburame."

"Kiba Inuzuka and this is Akamaru."

With the new Konoha Investigation Squad, everyone now set off to find and rescue Kurama.

***Shadow World; Entrance/Exit***

It had taken everyone a good while to get inside as they had to go in groups so no one would pay attention. "Okay," said Rise as she summoned her persona, Himiko, "I should be able to find Kurama without any problem; Naruto I'm not sure." Using the kiss she received from Kurama, Rise did in fact have no trouble finding Kurama and said, "I found Kurama, but…I'm getting a weird vibe."

"What do you mean Rise-chan?" asked Yosuke. "I don't know but…" said Rise with confusion, "there seems to be…others. I can't explain it, but Kurama isn't alone." _Naruto must be with Kurama,_ Hinata thought before Kiba said, "Well lead the way."

**I will end this chapter with one last note; the Konoha-nin will not be getting their own personas with the exception of Naruto, but I will allow them to use their jutsus (the Shadow World, as I call it, is weird like that). Before you ask, the ghosts that I mentioned earlier are really memories from Naruto's life from as a ninja, so Sasuke will not get a persona.**

**Ja Ne**


	10. Chapter 9

**The battle with two of the memories that the Konoha-nin and the Inaba Investigation Team will fight are Zabuza and Haku. The fight will be short (sorry) as I wanted both Konoha and Inaba Teams to not only fight those two, but Naruto's memory of Sasuke and I wasn't sure on how to have the fight go. Another thing is that the jutsus that the Shadow Memories use will be called Shadow Style instead of their real names as again, they're just the major Shadows before the Boss Shadow.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

****"Persona!" normal speech

_"What the..."_ thought/mind speak

**"Shadow Style!"** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 9: Masks of Pain

***Shadow World, Uzumaki/Dojima Sewage Plant***

The Konoha Investigation Squad arrived at a sewage plant, with the Konoha ninja in their full attire (Naruto: Shippuden attire for all Naruto characters present) and everyone was slightly intimidated by the sight. "Rise," said Chie as she looked into the giant pipeline that acted as an entrance, "Are you sure that Kurama-kun is in there?" Rise knew that Kurama/Naruto was inside the plant as she could feel it in her heart. "Of course, Chie-senpai," said Rise with steel resolve.

"Before we go in," said Neji with his Byakugan active, "How are you seeing through this fog. Even with my Byakugan, I can't see a thing." Teddie, with his bear suit on, reached into his jacket, pulled pair after pair of different colored glasses and gave each pair to each of the Konoha ninja as well as a pair for Dojima. "These glasses will help you see through the fog," said Teddie with a smile on his face. After putting the glasses on, everyone was shocked that the fog had just vanished. "Amazing," said Shino as he wore his Teddie Glasses over his shades. "It's as if the fog doesn't exist," added Kakashi as one of the lens of the glasses was over the headband that covered his left eye.

Yu walked over to the toys nearby and notice that all but one of the figurines were either broken or damaged in some form. The only figurine that had no damage at all was the figurine of a red fox with nine tails; it looked brand new! "Those must have been the toys that Naruto was playing with," said Shikamaru as he examined the slightly damaged figurine of himself before looking a Sasuke who looked him horror as the toy replica of him was completely in pieces, "In a way Sasuke, you should have expected that since one, he didn't like you as much and two, you were the one that got him in this mess."

"Why would the fox be the only one that isn't damaged?" asked Chie as she picked up said toy and examined its menacing look, "It's menacing yeah, but it actually looks badass." Kakashi looked at the figurine and realized something. "That figurine is an exact copy of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox," said Kakashi as he held his own figuring self, "a powerful demon that attacked our village years ago." The Inaba Investigation Team were confused at how a demon could actually exist, then again, they are friends with a Shadow that is capable of existing outside the Shadow World

As the Investigation Squad entered the pipeline, a voice of a crying child echoed through the entire place. "Why…," cried the voice, "Why is everyone so mean to me? I've never done anything to them." Yukiko let out a shiver as the crying faded deeper into the sewers. "What happened to him?" asked Chie as she turned to the Konoha ninja, "What did you all do to him!?" Kakashi walked up to Chie and said, "When Naruto was a child, he was always hated by the village due to the damage that had happened due to some…unforeseen action." Before any questions were asked, a large group of Shadows had attacked the group.

"What are these things?" asked Asuma as he shredded a couple of Shadows with his trench knives. "Those creatures are called Shadows," answered Yu as he summoned Izanagi who then skewered a shadow with his spear, "They're sort of like dark manifestations of people's thoughts." Lee saw three shadows go for Ryotaro from behind and charged at them. "Dojima-san," called Lee as he kicked the three shadows away that soon dissipated into a black fog. "Thanks," said Dojima as he punched a shadow away, "but don't forget to keep your head in the game."

After the last Shadow dissipated, Sakura walked up to Yu and asked, "What were those things you summoned?" Yu looked at the group of ninjas in front of him. "Those creatures we summoned are called Personas," said Yu as he called forth Izanagi's card form, "They give us the power to fight the Shadows through special skills which uses Spiritual Energy or attacks that uses up our Physical Energy, or in a way our health." Yukiko then walked up and said, "As we defeat the Shadows, our Personas get stronger which in turn makes us stronger, giving us new skills and powers. We all have a Persona, but Yu is the only one who has multiple Personas." Yu demonstrated by having the image of Izanagi switch to the image of Pyro Jack and then to Yamata-no-Orochi.

"Those are quite some amazing skills you all have," said Shino as he placed his hands in his pockets, "Back in the Elemental Nations, someone could possibly consider such power a clan ability or maybe even a Kekkei Genkai." The Investigation Team looked at Shino with an odd look. "A Kekkei Genkai is a bloodline ability that is exclusive to certain clans," added Neji activating his Byakugan, "like the Hyuga clan's Byakugan which allows us to see chakra as well as see through solid objects." As Nejii deactivated his Byakugan, the Investigation Squad continued on into a huge room with a circular pit in the middle.

Near the pit was a small sun-blonde boy, about Nanako's age, innocently humming a tune as he leaned against the railing. "Naruto?" asked Kiba as he and Akamaru got closer to the small child. The boy turned around to reveal that he was wearing a smiling theatrical mask. **"Hiya,"** said the boy with a distorted child's voice. Yukiko got beside Kiba and asked, "What are you doing here?" The boy turned to the pit and gave his answer. **"Wait'n for someone to play with me,"** said the boy.

At that moment, a person leapt from the pit and landed next to the small boy. This new person was a male teen, about Kurama's age, with combed back chestnut hair with a messy sun-blonde ponytail wearing an orange Yasogami school uniform and had the theatrical mask for tragedy over his face. **"He's been waiting for years for someone to play with him,"** said the teen dark distorted voice and he rubbed his hand in the boy's hair, **"No one really wanted to play with him, unless you consider the numerous beatings and abuse playing."**

Sasuke slowly walked up and asked, "Who are you?" The masked teen sadly shook his head in disappointment. **"Of all people,"** said the masked teen, **"you should recognize us, Sasuke-teme."** Ino's eyes widened as she said, "You're both Naruto Uzumaki."

Younger Naruto chuckled and said, **"Ino-teme knows who we are Aniki." **Ino puffed her face as Younger Naruto called her a teme. **"Don't take it to personally, Ino-teme,"** said Older Naruto, **"He's just a child…or he was."** Older Naruto turned and started to walk away. **"Now if you don't mind,"** said Older Naruto, **"I have to prepare for…the ritual."** As Older Naruto was leaving, Kanji rushed towards him only stop as a giant sword with a hole in the blade blocked his path.

As soon as the weapon appeared, two figures were on both sides of Younger Naruto. One was an adult male wearing grey pants, sleeve on his forearms with winter camouflage design and matching leggings, bandages covered his mouth and nose, and he had a headband with a metal plate wrapped on his head. The other one was a teen wearing a green kimono jacket and brownish open kimono pants, had bangs going down the side of the teen's face reaching half way down the chest, and was wearing half of a white mask with a red marking going upwards and the exposed side was a feminine looking face. The eyes of both figures were an ominous yellow. **"Zabuza-san-teme and Haku-chan-teme,"** said Younger Naruto as he turned and ran in the same direction as Older Naruto, **"I'm gonna go find and play with Moody Duck Ass-teme, bye-bye."**

Sakura was taken aback as she looked at the two figures in front of her. "Zabuza and Haku!" said Sakura as she studied the two in front the group, "Didn't they die years ago?" Shikamaru grabbed some shuriken from his pouch and said, "They are dead, it's just that they're memories from Naruto's past. Remember, this whole sewage plant is a part of Naruto's mind brought into reality by this world."

"Still," said Kakashi as he got a kunai knife out, "don't let your guard down for a second." Shadow Zabuza lifted the giant blade over his shoulders and said, **"Time to play my favorite game: Butcher. Now go play doctor, Haku, and after the ritual, you'll get to play with your precious Naruto." **Shadow Haku raised a fist to reveal senbon needles and an eerie smile crept up his face. Both Shadows rushed the group with madness in their eyes and began the attack.

Shadow Zabuza swung his giant blade downward as Kanji summoned Take-Mikazuchi to intercept the attack. As Take-Mikazuchi and Shadow Zabuza locked blades, Sasuke performed the hand seals he needed and drew in a breath of air. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" shouted Sasuke as blew a fireball aimed at Shadow Zabuza only to hit Kanji's Persona when Shadow Zabuza dodged it. "Careful," screamed Kanji as he grabbed his burning shoulder, "Whatever pain our Personas feel, we feel it to!" Rise was at the sidelines having Himiko observe both Shadows when Shikamaru questioned why she wasn't fighting. "My Persona is only oriented for support, it doesn't fight." _Troublesome,_ thought Shikamaru as he was fighting off Shadow Haku, _Personas that act like voodoo dolls and one of them lacks fighting skills. How troublesome._

Shadow Zabuza then performed his own set of hand seals and black fog started to roll in the battle field. **"Shadow Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"** called Shadow Zabuza as he faded into the dark mist. Shadow Haku followed with his own hand seals and shouted, **"Shadow Style: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"** Mirrors made of ice rose from the ground and showed many images of Shadow Haku. "What the hell!" cursed Yosuke, "Smoke and mirrors?" Kakashi moved his headband to reveal his Sharingan eye and said, "Don't be fooled, Yosuke! These jutsus are extremely dangerous." Kakashi's point was proven when Yu was attacked a barrage of senbon needles and a long gash appeared on Chie's body, oozing blood.

Rise was having a difficult time of tracking both Shadows as she couldn't get a lock on Shadow Zabuza due to the fog and Shadow Haku would vanish just as soon as he reappeared. Even the Hyugas were having difficulties as the fog was incredibly dense with a mixture of chakra and Shadow Zabuza's dark energy. Everyone was feeling like pincushions as Shadow Haku would pop in and out and attacking each time. The whole group was quickly losing and nothing was giving them an advantage.

All seemed lost until Kakashi remember the battle that the old Team 7 had with the real Zabuza and Haku. Kakashi quickly got to Chie's side and handed her a scroll. "Open the scroll and smear your blood on the page," said Kakashi, "I'll do the rest." Chie open the scroll, smeared her blood on the writings on the scroll and handed it to Kakashi. The silver-haired ninja then performed some hand seals and slammed the scroll into the ground. "I hope this works twice," said Kakashi putting his faith in nostalgic déjà vu, "Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!" The writing from the scroll then snaked through the ground as barking can be hear from within the fog which was followed by a scream of pain.

The black fog cleared revealing Shadow Haku's mirrors and a Shadow Zabuza being held by a bunch of dogs. "Now if my memory is correct," said Kakashi as he performed more hand seals and a ball of lightning appeared in his hand, "Lightning Blade!" Kakashi charged into the pinned Shadow and before the attack connected, it was intercepted by Shadow Haku. He soon fell to the floor limp and weakly said, **"My…precious."** Asuma quickly finished the battle by decapitating Shadow Zabuza who then dissipated into a black mist.

As everyone was recovering from the intense battle, a voice was heard from Shadow Haku's dissipating body. "What do you fight for?" asked the voice as everyone looked at it and noticed that it wasn't distorted. "I don't remember this," said Sakura as she looked at Sasuke who only shrugged as he didn't know what the Shadow was talking about. "When a person has something important they want to protect," said Shadow Haku as the last few pieces of his body dissipates, "that's when they can become truly strong." Everyone looked at the place where the Shadow once was, Teddie spoke up. "That must have been a part of Naruto-kun's memory," explained Teddie, "This Haku girl must have considered that Zabuza person beary important to her. When Naruto heard that, he probably got the strength he needs." Sakura looked at Teddie and remembered how Naruto would somehow pull off the impossible through sheer power. "Hey Teddie," said Sasuke as he got to his feet, "Haku was a boy." Teddie fell to the ground in defeat and said, "And I thought he was beary pretty!"

The Konoha Investigation Squad left the room when they heard two sets of voices. One set had a loving feel to it; the other was full of hate and anger. The gentle set was singing while the angered voices were in an uproar.

"Happy Birthday to you."

"KILL THE DEMON!"

"Happy Birthday to you."

"YOU KILL MY FRIENDS!"

"Happy Birthday dear Naruto."

"DIE FOX-BRAT!"

"Happy Birthday to you."

"TIME FOR THE FOX HUNT!"

As the voices disappeared, everyone felt chills escape their bodies. "What the hell was that!?" said Yosuke as he soon lost the contents of his stomach. Yu looked at the Konoha shinobi and asked what was on everyone's minds in his part of the entire group, "Has Naruto even had a happy birthday?" None of the ninjas had answered as tears began to fall uncontrollably from Chie's eyes. "The people from your village are MONSTERS!" cried Chie as she let out all of her angered sobs, "WHAT HAS HE DONE TO DESERVE THAT KIND OF TREATMENT!?" None of the Leaf ninjas could say anything as even they knew that whatever they would think would never be enough of an excuse for such behavior.

The emotional tension was soon broken by a child's laughter coming from a different room. The Investigation Squad entered the room to find a canyon-like chasm and Younger Naruto standing near the edge. **"Hiya!"** said Younger Naruto, **"I see that you broke Zabuza-teme and Haku-chan-teme. I didn't really care for Zabuza-teme, but Haku-chan-teme was one of my favorites. Aniki's gonna have to punish for breaking one of my favorite toys, once he's finished with the ritual."**

Rise pushed forward in front of the group so that she could talk to Younger Naruto. "What is this ritual your brother is performing?" asked Rise as she looked at Younger Naruto the fear in her eyes. **"Aniki is performing a special ritual that will set us free from this nasty place,"** answered Younger Naruto, **"He says that it's so easy that even a child like me could perform it. The ritual has two different names, one really old and one that is well known. Susid…suside…sueee."** Yukiko let out a gasp on shock and said "Suicide! Your brother is going to perform SUICIDE!" Everyone was at paralyzing stupor as none of them to expect someone like Naruto to think on the lines of taking his own life.

Everyone was shocked out of their stupor when a clawed hand exploded out of Younger Naruto's chest. Behind Younger Naruto was a boy with ash grey skin wearing a dark blue shirt and grey shorts. Both of his hands were similar to claws and protruding from his back were wings in the form of webbed hands that were also clawed. The boy's hair was an ash-blue, his dark eyes were red showing that the Sharingan was active and in the middle of his face was a black four-pointed star. It was none other than Sasuke Uchiha when he had used the Advanced Curse Mark three years ago.

**Yes, everyone will fight Curse Marked Sasuke and that fight is going to be longer, but it will end differently.**

**Ja Ne**


	11. Chapter 10

**Here's the big fight with Shadow Sasuke and everyone will have trouble with him. After the fight is the big revelation about Kurama and Naruto.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"I am a Shadow."** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 10: To Slay Demons

***Shadow World, Uzumaki/Dojima Sewage Plant***

The Konoha Investigation Squad looked in horror as Sasuke's younger self lifted Younger Naruto into the air. The mask Younger Naruto fell off, and reveal the crying face of Younger Naruto with the same ominous yellow eyes with blood tears dripping down his face. **"Hiya Moody Duck Ass-teme,"** said Younger Naruto with a joyous tune, **"You gonna play with these people?"** Before anyone could react, Shadow Sasuke threw Younger Naruto into the deep chasm and watched as the body fell to the bottom with a sickening splat**. "Now that the dobe is out of the way,"** said Shadow Sasuke facing the Investigation Squad, **"time to play my favorite game: Avenger."**

Shadow Sasuke leapt towards the group and before he could attack, both Guy and Kakashi kicked Shadow Sasuke to the other side of the chasm. As the dust settled, Shadow Sasuke used his mutated wings and flew into the air performing hand seals. **"Shadow Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"** said Shadow Sasuke as small bluish fireballs flew out of his mouth. Chie was about to be hit by the flames, but Yukiko had her Persona take the attack. "Why did you have your Persona take that attack?" asked Ino as Yukiko flinched from the barrage of flames. "My Persona, Konohana Sakuya, is strong against fire based attacks," explained Yukiko as she regains her composure, "and besides, Chie is my best friend."

"Let's see if you can handle a little turbulence," said Yosuke as his Persona Card appeared in front of him, "Let's do this, Jiraiya!" Yosuke gave the card a powerful strike, but nothing happened. **"Fool,"** said Shadow Sasuke as a smirk formed on his face, **"you possess the same power as your friends, but you can't even use it. You are such a dobe."** _What happened? _Yosuke thought as he stared at the mutant, _This has never happened before. Why?_

Yu summoned one of his Personas, Anzu, and hit Shadow Sasuke with a wind attack which then made the mutant loose his balance and crash to the ground. "Alright everyone," called Yu charging towards the downed Shadow, "ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Shadow Sasuke was attacked by all sides as both Leaf ninja and Persona Users landed punch after punch before he regained his bearings and flew back into the air. **"You're going to have to do better than that in order to defeat me!"** shouted Shadow Sasuke as he flew back into the air.

Shadow Sasuke flew towards Teddie in a dive bomb, but was knocked back by Chie's persona, Tomoe, with a swift kick. Kanji sent Take-Mikazuchi for a follow up, but it was intercepted as Shadow Sasuke quickly countered in the same way Tomoe had. The mutant then landed on the ground and began mimicking Chie's moving battle stance. Chie rushed in and began attacking with Shadow Sasuke attacking in the same manner to the point. "How is he fighting like Chie-chan?" asked Teddie. "Most likely because of the Sharingan," said Gai as he saw Kakashi jump in and aid Chie by fighting just like her, "Those eyes can copy the body movement of what they see and can even copy jutsus. In a way, it's like skipping years of training in a fighting form by just looking at it."

Shadow Sasuke leapt into the air and shot more fireballs at the group as the original Sasuke countered with his own set of fireballs. _I can't believe I was really like that,_ Sasuke thought as he can still remember fighting with the power of the Curse Mark that still exsisted on his neck today. Before he died, Jiraiya was able to make a stronger suppressor seal which in turn would actually allow Sasuke to use it without repercussions. Sasuke then watched his Shadow self performed familiar hand seals

"Watch out!" said Kakashi as he called out to the group, "That's Chidori, one of Sasuke's strongest attacks!" Shadow Sasuke then charged the group with his hand ablaze with lightning. Before Shadow Sasuke's attack connected, a mysterious person in red Anbu attire wearing an Anbu Mask in the form of a fox's face appeared with a red orb of energy in his hand. **"Sorry,"** said the stranger as thrusts the orb into Shadow Sasuke's gut, **"but the kit needs his friends more than ever, Uchiha Brat."** When the orb collided with the mutant's body, the org exploded causing Shadow Sasuke's body to dissipate.

After everyone recovered from the battle, Yu walked up of the mysterious ninja. "Who are you?" asked Yu, thinking that this person could either be a Leaf ninja or a Shadow. **"Who I am is not important at the moment,"** said the ninja giving Yu a key that had a shattered heart attached to it, **"Depending on his choice, the kit's life will forever change."** Rise walked up to the man in red and asked, "What do you mean?"

The man looked at the entire group and turn to face the chasm. **"In all of his life,"** said the man, **"the kit has always wanted one thing and one thing alone: acceptance. Being Hokage never really had anything to do with it; it was all a disguise for his true dream."** All of the Konoha ninja remembered all the times that the blonde would say his dream out loud as it was more than all of them could count of their hands and feet.

**"The kit somehow has this amazing power to change the views of others and involuntary turn their lives around. Inari, Neji, Gaara, Tsunade, even that Uchiha brat,"** said the man as he stares at the body of Younger Naruto, **"Too bad he couldn't change the minds of those damned Civilian Council members."** The man's body began to fade away as he turned to give the group one last look. "Wait!" called out Sasuke, "You never told us who you are." As the man vanished, a voice echoed through the chasm. **"I am someone who is much closer to the boy than any of you could imagine."**

The Konoha Investigation Squad left the room with heavy thoughts weighing on them as they approach a giant door with a picture of an orange nine-tailed fox on it. A dark and powerful energy seeped out from behind the door, causing most of the group to shiver. "Well," said Yu as he slid the key into the lock, causing it to vanish, "be ready for whatever is behind this door, because it is now too late to turn back."

When the group entered, they saw Kurama lying on the ground and Masked Naruto standing underneath a noose. Kurama woke up and got to his feet. "Wha…" said the teen waking up in a daze, "What happened?" Rise rushed towards Kurama/Naruto and helped him to his feet. **"So the gaki's finally awake,"** said Masked Naruto grabbing Kurama's attention. "Who are you?" asked Kurama, "Where am I?" The masked teen sighed and shook his head in disappointment and said, **"We thought you would already know who we are, Kurama, if that is your real name."**

The masked Naruto removed his mask to reveal a face similar to Kurama's with the exception of visible scars on his face, protruding whiskers on his cheeks, and glowing yellow eyes that were oozing blood-like tears.** "We know everything about who you really are,"** said Shadow Naruto as the younger version of Shadow Naruto appeared next to him in a broken and bloody mess, **"We know how you are really just lonely little Naruto Uzumaki that everyone in the village tells to go into a ditch and die!"** Sakura looked at the Shadow Narutos and then at Kurama. _Is this the real you?_ Sakura thought as she remembered how her mother had a hand in Naruto's abuse. "You know nothing about me," said Kurama, "and my name is Kurama Dojima." Older Shadow Naruto just weakly laughed at what he had heard.

**"Kurama Dojima,"** said the Shadow as his tone became serious, **"You know that that life, no, the entire life that everyone sees is complete BULLSHIT! Before your banishment, everyone only saw a loud-mouth idiot that always screamed, 'I'm gonna be the next Hokage, believe it!' Bullshit."** Kurama became agitated at the Shadow's accusations as a growl escaped his throat. **"Your three years as this Kurama Dojima and everything that he went through, complete bullshit,"** said Shadow Naruto as the blood-like tears flowed from his demonic eyes,** "even the relationship with your 'family' is bullshit!"**

Kurama glared at the Shadow in front of him with pure venom and hate as he said, "Don't you dare talk about my family like that you asshole!" The Shadow scowled as the noose began to lower itself. "Kurama don't!" called Chie in an attempt to stop what was happening. **"We are the only ones who knows everything about the real you, Naruto Uzumaki,"** said Shadow Naruto as the noose was now at chin level, **"because we're you, and you're us."** Ignoring Chie's warning, Kurama/Naruto let all his anger out in one mighty roar. "YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE ME!" yelled Kurama/Naruto, "AND YOU NEVER WILL BE YOU DAMNED FAKER!" Older Shadow Naruto smiled as his and Younger Shadow Naruto's heads went through the noose and said, **"Finally…We're free."**

The noose snapped into the ceiling, dragging the Shadow Narutos into a black cloud. A completely transformed Shadow Naruto then dropped back into the room with the noose suspending him in the air. Shadow Naruto's body was now a hybrid form between him and a nine-tailed fox with its arms and legs bound by rope. Its body was also riddled with cuts and bruises and had kunai knives, senbon needles, and even swords sticking into the Shadow's body. Its face was just like Naruto's, but its eyes were gouged out with blood and tears flowing from the sockets and its teeth were also busted. The Shadow's new form was the embodiment of sadness and hate. Kurama had passed out from the sight and the amount of power that the Shadow emitted. "Here it comes," said Kanji as the Shadow let out a hollowed scream while everyone got ready for the fight of their lives.

**This is the start of the big fight against Naruto's Shadow. I know that I made his Shadow a bit disturbing looking, but it is a manifestation of Naruto's thoughts and feelings and let's face it, Naruto's life in Konohagakure was hell! I also know that the mysterious person helping everyone by defeating Shadow Sasuke was odd, but I had to introduce the Nine-Tailed Fox somehow. The next chapter will be the big fight against shadow Naruto and the revelation of Kurama/Naruto's persona.**

**Ja Ne**


	12. Chapter 11

**Here is the big fight with Naruto's Shadow and everyone will be in BIG trouble.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"Damn it!" _thought/mind speak

**"I am a Shadow."** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 11: Fighting the 9th's Pain

***Shadow World; Uzumaki/Dojima Sewage Plant***

Everyone stared at the Shadow before them in a horrific fashion as the hanging body moved around, despite hanging from a noose. _Are these Naruto's true thoughts?_ Sakura asked herself as she felt multiple shivers down her spine, _Why did you have to suffer so much when you should have been praised?_ Rise was near the real Kurama/Naruto as she looked at the Shadow before her. _Dear God,_ Rise thought as she imagined her boyfriend's pain, _you're in so much pain that your mind is scarred like this._

**"I am a Shadow, the true self,"** said Shadow Naruto with a weak raspy voice, **"I know no emotions as the only thing that I have ever known is pain. Allow me to share it with you." **Everyone gazed at the Shadow's form with both fear and sadness. "How did everything that has happened to you get this far?" asked Ino shivering at the sight before. "C'mon, Kurama-senpai," said Kanji as he psyched himself for the battle, "I know you're stronger than this!" Rise looked at Shadow Naruto with tears in her eyes and collected her resolve. "Kurama…Naruto…I don't care about the name you choose," said Rise as she stare down the Shadow, "I love you, and nothing will ever change that!" Shadow Naruto's body turned to face Rise with pain. **"You say that you love me,"** said Shadow Naruto as its body began to curl into itself, **"but the only thing that this so-called love only brings me is PAIN! SCREAM OF TORTURE"**

The Shadow's body uncurled and let out a pained scream as everyone held the ears when the scream echoed throughout the room. "That scream is inhuman," cursed Kiba as he and Akamaru were fighting off the migraines, "Shikamaru, you gotta think off something, quick!" Yu summoned Izanagi who took his spear and stabbed Shadow Naruto in the stomach, stopping the scream. Lee followed with a direct kick to the Shadow's face, knocking it off the spear tip.

Shadow Naruto looked at the two who attacked him. **"Nothing is ever different,"** said the Shadow as his fresh wounds were slowly being healed, **"Everything to me is nothing but PAIN and I can never escape from this pain."** Shadow Naruto then jerked his head upwards as fire had enveloped Izanagi and Lee. "Lee!" said Guy as he then rushed towards the Shadow, "Alright, if I cannot land 300 attack before I touch the ground, then I will-urk!" The Shadow slammed one of its bloody tails into Guy before he could finish his sentence and attack. Kanji summoned Take-Mikazuchi who then attacks Shadow Naruto with an electrical attack, causing a major amount of damage.

**"This pain…"** said the Shadow as it started flail about, causing the rope to stretch like a bungee cord, **"It's unbearable! HANGMAN WHIP!" **Everyone did their best to avoid the attack, but it wasn't enough as Sakura, Yukiko, Choji, and a few other Konoha-nin couldn't avoid the attack. "That attack's pretty devastating," said Rise as she pointed to the dripping blood from the noose, "but it also hurt him." Even with that advantage, Shadow Naruto threw in the same attack again and dealing massive damage to itself and everyone else.

"We need to find an opening," said Shikamaru as he then looked at the noose, "Sasuke, Yukiko, try and burn the noose around his neck!" Sasuke flashed through some hands seals as Yukiko summoned her Persona and brought forth a combined fire ball and aimed it at the rope. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu/Agilao!" called Sasuke as he and Yukiko released the attack and burning the rope. The rope snapped as the fire was too much, causing the Shadow to fall to the floor wide open for an attack. "There's an opening," said Yu as he rushed towards Shadow Naruto, "We need to strike now!" Everyone soon rushed in and proceeded to deal some major damage to the fallen Shadow.

Guy and Lee soon stopped as the others continued to attack the downed foe. "Guy-sensei," said Lee with a heavy heart, "attacking someone who is defenseless is very unyouthful. Why is everyone doing this?" Kanji saw the two and walked up to them an asked, "Why are you two standing around for?" Guy saw Kanji and sighed. "Why should we attack something that cannot properly defend itself?" asked Guy as he saw Chie landing a critical hit with Kakashi mimicking her. Kanji looked at the Shadow and then the look-alikes. "Listen," said Kanji, "I know that attacking Kurama-senpai's Shadow doesn't seem fair, but sometimes in order to help someone in need, you may have to beat the crap out of them, even when they're down."

Elsewhere, Sakura had stopped her assault the Shadow as it brought up her memories of all beatings she had given Naruto. "Thank Kami I never had Lady Tsunade's training that fateful day," said Sakura as she was at the memory of the last beating she had ever given the real Naruto, "I'm such a monster." Ino saw Sakura and ran up towards her, obtaining a view of her best friend crying. "It's not our fault for not knowing the truth about Naruto," said Ino as she hugged Sakura in an effort to comfort the crying kunoichi, "but it is our fault that he became so lonely and we need to fix what has been broken." At this realization, Sakura pushed Ino aside and said, "Thanks Ino, I really needed that. Now let's go save Naruto-kun!"

As the All-Out Attack let up, Shadow Naruto broke free from the bindings and got up onto all fours, letting out a demonic roar. **"NO!" **screamed the Shadow giving the group a demonic glare as its voice was now more louder and clearer, **"I see that you don't understand my pain. I guess that I'll just have to SHOW YOU MY PAIN!"** Shadow Naruto then let out a howl as a red mist enveloped it and Yosuke as it howled, **"PAIN'S CONNECTION!"**

Shino threw spheres made of the beetles within his body which surprisingly connected. The Shadow slightly flinched while Yosuke held his boy and grunted in absolute pain. "What happened?" asked Yosuke as slowly got back to his stance, "My body feels like it's being eaten by termites!" Another attack struck Shadow Naruto and Yosuke fell to his knees in pain. Rise saw the connection and said, "Guys! Kurama's Shadow used something on itself to transfer the attack to Yosuke!" _Troublesome,_ Shikamaru thought as he watched the other attack while Sakura, Yukiko, and Teddie healed Yosuke, _now we need to watch about attacking him._

**"PAIN'S CONNECTION!" **howled Shadow Naruto as the red mist moved from Yosuke to Hinata. "Quick!" shouted Shikamaru as he pointed to Hinata, "Hinata's the target now!" As the three healers ran towards Hinata, Shadow Naruto then open his mouth towards the sky and said, **"I will show you the destructive power of my pain! NIGHTMARE MASS!"** Orbs of energy gathered over the Shadow's face and formed a sphere before it was eaten by Shadow Naruto. The Shadow's body quickly expanded as Rise knew that this was trouble. "Brace yourselves, guys!" said Rise, "It's going to use a really powerful attack!" Everyone braced themselves for the attack as a large blast erupted from the Shadow's mouth.

After the explosion passed, everyone was still on their feet albeit barely. "What an insane attack," said Gai as he struggled to get back up, "I'm not sure if we can take another one like that." Shadow Naruto pointed his mouth to the ceiling and said, **"NIGHTMARE MASS!"** Orbs began to gather and form a much larger sphere before Chie had an idea to stop it. "Oh no you don't," said Chie as she jumped on the blade of Tomoe's twin bladed weapon and was launched towards the jaw with her foot outstretched, "Galactic Punt!" The attack connected with a strong enough force for the sphere to drop and explode on Shadow Naruto.

The Shadow shook the dust off itself and said, **"You really don't know my pain!"** It then brought up his palm as a sphere of black energy began to form. "Watch out!" said Rise as she viewed the sphere, "He's charging up a powerful attack!" Everyone backed away as Kakashi saw the familiar jutsu in the Shadow's hand. "That can't be," said Kakashi as the memories of his sensei's jutsu flooded his mind, "that's the Rasengan!" The Shadow's Rasengan was finally finished and the beast brought the sphere into the air. **"CORRUPT RASENGAN!" **said Shadow Naruto as he slammed the sphere into the ground, sending everyone flying towards the wall.

Yosuke, Ryotaro, and Rise had recovered from the attack when they heard voices as everything in the battlefield had been frozen in place. "Yosuke," said a voice that grabbed both Yosuke's and Ryotaro's attention. "Jiraiya?" asked Ryotaro as the spirit of his old friend appeared along with and older man who looks like Naruto, with the exception of the whisker marks, and a woman with red hair. "It's really good to see you again Ryotaro," said the blonde man, "how's my son doing?"

Both Rise and Yosuke looked at the man with confusion and the red-haired woman walked toward Rise. "Naruto, or Kurama as you two have known him as," said the woman looking at Rise, "is our son and after the sealing, we wanted him to have a normal, happy life." Jiraiya soon added his two cents and said, "But unfortunately, Naruto only had that small amount of happiness as he had to work hard to obtain what he really wanted, only to lose it all when he choose to be banished."

Rise caught on to what Jiraiya and was about to ask what he meant when the man in red from before appeared. **"After bringing back that Uchiha brat, the Civilian Council wanted Naruto to be executed. Tsunade, the current Hokage, had talked them out of the idea, but she was enraged when the Council had already passed the idea of banishment by doing the paperwork beforehand. Tsunade told Naruto about what was going on and apologized for not stopping them."**

The spirits walked up to the three with Jiraiya next to Yosuke, the blonde man next to Ryotaro, and the red-haired woman next to Rise. "What's going on?" asked Ryotaro when the spirit placed his hand on the detective's shoulder. "We are going to temporarily use your bodies to defeat our son's Shadow," said the blonde and Rise looked at the man in red. "What about you?" asked Rise when light began to envelop around her and the other two men. The man then turned away and said, **"I'm already with someone who will need me after all of this. And Rise, I've seen everything that the kit has been through and I can only imagine what a pop idol such as yourself have been through. So I'll only ask that you make the right choice of how you want to live your life with the kit."**

A blinding light shone through the battlefield, blinding everyone on the field, and when the light faded, three different people stood in the place where Yosuke, Ryotaro and Rise once stood. The Konoha Investigation Squad looked in awe at the three before them. One was a white-haired man wearing a red cloak over a green shirt and green pants, and a metal horned plate with the kanji for "oil" written on it. There was also sun-blonde man who could pass of for an older version of Naruto without whisker marks on his face. The last person was a woman with red hair wearing what looked like battle armor for a ninja. "Jiraiya, Minato-sensei, Kushina," said Kakashi as the three people in front of the group nodded and then glared at the Shadow.

"So you're the one who's been plaguing my son," said Minato as he got out a tri-pronged kunai knife, "I will make sure that you never harm him again!" As Minato jumped towards the Shadow, Jiraiya and Kushina soon followed with their own weapons ready. Shadow Naruto looked at the group charging towards him and let out a demonic growl.

**"So,"** said the Shadow as it glared at the blonde in the middle of the attacking group, **"the man who is responsible for my pain finally shows to face me. You are a pathetic excuse of a leader for using a newborn baby, let alone your own son, as a sacrifice so that your precious village could prosper after the fox's attack."** Minato lowered his head as he remembered how he used his own son to seal away the fox. "You're right," said Minato as he threw his kunai at the Shadow, only to miss, "I am a pathetic excuse for a leader, but I'm even a worse father than I could have ever been as I've placed too much trust in the village to see beyond the fact that the fox was sealed inside of you."

Minato then teleported behind the Shadow's head and grabbed Shadow Naruto's hair with a blue sphere of energy in his other hand. "That is why," said Minato as he tightened his grip on the Shadow, "I will do EVERYTHING I CAN TO GET MY SON'S FORGIVENESS!" Minato slammed the sphere of energy into the Shadow's skull, launching him into Jiraiya, who then followed with his own attack which launched the Shadow into the air. Kushina then sent the Shadow hurtling to the ground with a powerful hay maker causing Shadow Naruto to struggle at recovering but to no avail.

The Shadow's body dissipated to reveal the Shadow Naruto from before the attack, prone and trying to recover. Kurama woke up and saw the Shadow before him and gave him a threatening glare. "You're…you're not me," said Kurama/Naruto as three people then split from Yosuke, Ryotaro, and Rise. "Son," said the spirit of Minato grabbing Kurama's attention, "I know who you really are and I really want to say how sorry I am for causing such grief to befall you." Kurama/Naruto looked at the man with anger welling and then decided to punch the blonde in the gut.

"Why," asked Kurama/Naruto with tears in his eyes, "Do you have ANY IDEA what those bastards in the village have done to me because of the Nine-Tailed Fox seal inside of me!?" Minato recovered from the blow that was given to him by his son as tears began to roll from his eyes. "Because," said Minato as he enveloped his son in a hug, "I loved you and I knew that if anyone could handle the fox's power, it was you, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki." Kurama/Naruto then returned the hug as the spirit of Kushina soon followed with her own hug. "We wish we could have been with you, my baby boy," said Kushina as tears fell from her eyes, "but we will meet again in due time and we will always be there for you."

The spirits of the two parents soon vanished and Jiraiya looked at Yosuke. "I know that the Jiraiya you know will not be the same as me," said the spirit of Jiraiya as he placed his hand of Yosuke's shoulder, "but please, help Naruto in any way you and your friends can. He's going to need it now."

Kurama/Naruto then looked at his Shadow self with courage burning in his eyes. "I was always alone, always on my own with no shoulder to cry on, no one to call friend, I never even knew if I had a family," said Kurama/Naruto as the Shadow got to its feet, "but I had those who truly cared for me; Jiji, Iruka, Teuchi, Ayame, and maybe even a few Anbu." Tears began to form in Kurama's/Naruto's eye as he continued, "But that was never enough. I had set my goal to become Hokage as I always saw how the people respect the person, and I wanted to be acknowledged and given respect, not treated as some sort of outcast or monster." The Konoha Invetigation Squad soon had tears in their eyes as Kurama/Naruto then hugged his Shadow. "Now I have friends who see me for me," said Kurama/Naruto as he let the Shadow loose from his hug and looked at the Inaba Investigation team, "I no longer have to shoulder this pain alone."

The Shadow smiled and a blue light enveloped him, transforming him into a red fox wearing a mask and holding a kunai knife in its mouth. **"I am thou, and thou art I,"** said the fox, **"Thou hath faced thyself and obtained the façade to face life's hardships. I am Kitsune, the trickster fox."** The Persona then changed into its card form and vanished into Kurama's/Naruto's mind. "Persona, huh," said Kurama/Naruto as he fell to his knees.

Both Kanji and Yu wrapped Kurama/Naruto's arms around their shoulders and helps him up to his feet. "Easy there Senpai," said Kanji as he guided the weakened Kurama/Naruto out of the room with everyone following. Rise turned to look at the cage and saw the same red man inside the cage. "Who are you?" asked Rise and then added, "What are you?" A red cloak surrounded the man and the slim eyeholes of the mask flashed a dark red. **"You could say that I am a part of your…boyfriend at the moment,"** said the man as the cloak became foxlike, **"I will tell you my name, but the kit will tell you and your friends about me when it's time. My name…is Kurama."** Rise looked at the man before her until she heard someone call for her and she left. **"Well kit,"** said the man as he became a giant red nine-tailed fox, **"you will need to choose your future from here."**

**Naruto has faced his Shadow and obtained his persona, Kitsune, the trickster fox. I know that you all are wondering why I had Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya able to defeat Shadow Naruto and the reasons are: 1) Shadow Naruto was already severely from his failed attack, 2) The Boss Shadows are always difficult, some more than others, and 3) Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.**

**Now here's the stats on Kurama/Naruto's persona:**

**Name: Kitsune**

**LV: 37**

**Arcana: Hanged Man**

**Strengths: Fire-Str, Wind-Null, Elec-Wk, Dark-Str**

**Elemental Skills: Agilao, Maragi, Garula, Magarula**

**Support Skills: Sukukaja, Rakunda**

**Ailment Skills: Marin Karin**

**Passive Skills: Regenerate 2**

**Ja Ne**


	13. Chapter 12

**Now that everyone knows that Kurama is in fact Naruto, there will be some issues (mostly with the Konoha-nin) involving Naruto now. I will also have Naoto learn of his secret as well as her own secret be noticed.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"Marin Karin!"** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 12: The Ultimate Test Part 1

***Dojima Residence; Kurama's Room***

Kurama's eyes weakly opened as the brunette awoke with blurred vision. "I'm… home?" said Kurama as he rubbed the fatigue out of his eye, "I thought I was with Rise-chan?" Kurama rolled out of bed and shook himself awake and rose. "Wow," said Kurama as he tried to find his balance, "what the Hell did I do last night?"

Kurama walked down the stairs and saw Ryotaro and Nanako in the living area watching the news. "Hey," weakly said Kurama as Nanako rushed towards her adoptive brother and gave him a hug. "Kurama-nii-san!" cried the smaller sibling as she tightened her grip. Nanako let go of Kurama as walked toward the fridge and poured as glass of milk. "Hey Dad," said Kurama grabbing the attention of his adoptive father, "I had this really crazy dream." Ryotaro knew that Kurama's mind would be a bit muggy and pass off what had happened inside the television as a dream. "I dreamed that I was in some sort of sewer system and Yu and the others were there. You were also there, too, and somehow _they_ were there. There was also someone who looked like me, but he looked like someone, or something else." A voice rang in Kurama's head and said, **"That wasn't a dream, kit."**

Ryotaro soon explained what all had happened and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulders. "I'm sorry," said Ryotaro after telling Naruto about how the Konoha shinobi discovered their well-guarded secret, "I had no choice Son." Naruto lightly slugged his father's shoulder, but Ryotaro took it as a 'thank you' and returned it with light glare that said 'you're welcome.' The front door opened as Yu and the members of the Inaba Investigation Team walked in with Rise tackling Naruto in a death-grip hug.

"Kurama!" said Rise as everyone in the house laughed at the sight before them. Kurama was soon able to get Rise off and said, "What are you guys all doing here?" Yu looked at the group, who gave him a nod, and explained everything about how Kurama had went missing at the same as Rise had, saving Rise, teaming up with the Konoha ninja, and then rescuing Kurama from his Shadow. "So…" said Kurama with melancholy in his voice, "you all know my secret about the real me."

The silence in the room was deafening as no one could think of what to say; after learning that their friend wasn't who he seemed to be, who could say anything. "I don't care what name you go by," said Rise as she looked at Kurama with compassion in her eyes, "you're still the same guy I fell in love with. You could call yourself Mud or Coal and you would still be the same kind person who I fell in love with." After saving Kurama, Rise had asked Ryotaro if she could read the real file on Kurama and learned of the horrors of what Kurama had to go through as Naruto.

"Rise-chan couldn't stop crying," said a young teenage boy with shiny blonde hair, "but she wouldn't let us look at that thin yellow book." Kurama stared at the unfamiliar person and asked, "Who…are you and why are you in my house." The boy offered his hand to shake and said, "I'm Teddie." Kurama shook Teddie's hand and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, but please, call me Kurama Dojima." The group knew of Kurama's secret as Yu had explained to the others how 'Kurama' was really from a really far off country that is full of ninjas and how Yu had to keep it a secret from everyone.

"Senpai," said Kanji as he looked at the ponytailed brunette, "Whoever you choose to be, I'll be proud to sew you anything you need and I'll even knit you a cool doll for ya!" Yukiko looked at her employee/co-worker and said, "I don't care either, you're always around when someone needs help, even when you're not on the clock. Besides, the only ones allowed to look at your records are law enforcement agents, doctors, and even any other places you might consider getting a job at." Yosuke chuckle as he said, "Yeah, and who can honestly say that their friend was a real ninja before." Chie ruffled Kurama's hair as she threw in her two cents. "I've always known you to be very compassionate, Kurai Baby," laughed Chie as she called Kurama by his embarrassing nickname. Rise grabbed Kurama's head and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss as Kurama soon relaxed as the girl's emotion gave him all that needed to know. **"These people risked their lives and accepted you for you,"** said the fox as he smiled.

_Not yet,_ thought Naruto as he ended his kiss with Rise, _I want to know if they are really my friends._ Fox Kurama knew where his kit's thoughts were going to and was slightly worried. **"Kit, before you do that,"** said the fox, **"Have Dojima-san give them the file that Jiraiya had given him and have them look over it. Give these people a day or so to make their decision about ****_that_**** topic."** Naruto agreed to the fox's plan as this was the ultimate test for him. "Dojima-san," said Naruto, "could you get that _one_ file?" Ryotaro looked at Naruto in shock and asked, "Are you sure about that, Naruto?" Naruto only gave him a stern nod that would even impress a judge.

The detective left the room and returned with a file. "My old friend Jiraiya," said Ryotaro as he handed the file to Yu, "wrote down classified information that was from Naruto's home country that anyone from their rivals would literally kill to have, yet to some, it's just common knowledge." Everyone was surprised that a cop, let alone Ryotaro Dojima, had given them classified information on one particular person.

Ryotaro looked at the Investigation Team and said, "I want all of you to read that file and think about what you have learned from it. Since that information is classified, you are not to tell anyone. If you do, there is a possibility that the Kurama you know will be gone forever." After everyone had left, Ryotaro looked at Naruto and said, "I hope you know what you're doing."

***Junes Food Court***

Yu and the group were staring at the folder before them, wondering what was inside it. "Well…" said Yosuke as he broke the silence in hope to make a conversation. "Should we even have this?" asked Chie with slight fear in her voice. "Um…I don't…" said Kanji as he was still in a loss of words. "I don't see why everyone is nervous about this book," said Teddie as he reached for the folder before Yosuke grabbed his wrist. "Teddie," said Yosuke, "This is not just some random crap that everyone wouldn't give a second thought about; this is classified information. That means if we speak a word about what is in that file, then you can kiss your life goodbye!" Everyone, but Teddie and Yosuke, nodded as Yukiko spoke up, "Yosuke-kun is right. Whatever is in that file, only the Dojimas are allowed to know and for some reason, Kurama wants us to read it." Yu was also thinking the same thing and then spoke up, "I think Kurama wants to test us." The group looked at him before Yukiko and asked, "What do you mean, Yu-kun?" Everyone had learned of Naruto's past and secrets, but what does this file have to do with Naruto?

"I say we look at it," said Rise giving everyone heart attacks, "I've read the file on Kurama-kun's life and I want to know why he was treated like that back at Konoha." After recovering from shock, Yosuke asked, "Are you kidding!? You do realize that your career could end if you say anything!?" Rise slammed her hands on the table and stood up. "I don't care if I can never go back to being a pop star, my boyfriend wants to gain my trust and I'm willing to risk that for him!"

For a moment, everyone was slightly afraid of Rise as she sat back down. _Shadows are one thing,_ thought Yu as he remembered Kurama's threat at the police station, _but a pop idol's tantrum and Kurama are on a different level._ Everyone regained their composure and realized Rise was right; their friend needed them to learn a dangerous secret in order to trust them.

The file was soon opened and everyone read the contents:

_To whoever reads this file, I assume that you have gained the trust of Naruto, Ryotaro Dojima, or me so that you can read this. The information you are about to read would be considered a SS-class secret and should be only shared by the Dojimas (Naruto included) and anyone else within this circle. If you value your life, this information cannot, I repeat, __**cannot**__ be shared with anyone else._

_In the Elemental Countries, mine and Naruto's home country, there were nine tailed beasts called bijuu. These bijuu contained powers beyond any mortal's dreams and nightmares, but the beasts themselves had different levels of power measured by the number of tails they possessed, with the One-tailed Shukaku being the weakest and the Nine-tailed Fox being the strongest. There was once a ten-tailed beast, but its defeat is what caused the appearance of the nine bijuu. Some villages would seal one of these beasts into some random person to contain that bijuu's power. That person would then be known as a jinchuriki, or a sacrifice, as their life would become connected to the beast as well. Some villages would see the jinchuriki as a weapon, a mere tool that can be replaced, while most would most likely see the sacrifice as the beast itself. I have seen one case were one jinchuriki was hated by the village to a degree that said jinchuriki was once a murderous psychopath, only to change his ways when he was confronted by my own apprentice, Naruto Uzumaki. The power of one jinchuriki, if properly trained, can possible level a city I heard of called Dallas or even wipe out a chain of islands off the map._

_My network of spies has also told me about a group of S-class criminals called the Akatsuki. Although I have no idea of who their leader is or what their plan is as well, but they're targeting the nine bijuu. The members of the Akatsuki are extremely powerful and should not be taken on alone. One such criminal is Itachi Uchiha, one of the lone survivors of the Uchiha clan that he himself had massacred for reasons that even I have no clue on. Another member would be Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the feared Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, if his water jutsus don't get you, then his blade will rip you to shreds. Those two and some of the others are far too dangerous for anyone to handle alone._

_Naruto Uzumaki is connected to the bijuu, but that is for him to tell you, not me. Naruto has also been told about his real parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Both of them were feared as The Yellow Flash and the Red-Hot Habanero respectively, so it wouldn't surprise me if the gaki came with a nickname for himself like The Orange Fox or something like that. In order to give Naruto a new life, I had to seal away his chakra so that he wouldn't have access to it and I only taught the unsealing method to one person and one person alone should Naruto ever wants to return to being a ninja. If you want to know more about his connection with the bijuu, ask Naruto about Icha Icha Secrets. My only regret that I was never there when he needed it the most, what with me being his godfather, but I really hope that he lives a normal life, one that he was supposed to have. So please, be there for Naruto, or whatever name he's going by, not because I or Ryotaro want you to, but you want to._

After everyone read the contents of the file and looking at the photos provided, no one could speak. "Tailed beasts that could wipe out an entire city," said Yosuke with fear in his voice. "An organization of the most dangerous criminals from their land," added Chie with slight fear in on her face. "And those who sacrificed themselves to contain such power," said Yukiko with sadness, "only to be feared and hated by their own people." The silence was deafening until Rise spoke up.

"I say we talk to him," said Rise as she held up the file, "He wanted us to learn his secret so that he knows we can trust him. I've already known about his hellish life and I'm willing to accept that he has some crazy monster sealed inside of him because I love him. You all remember going through that dungeon and facing his Shadow, Kurama's been hurt by these people who want him back. They most likely want him back because of his power; I mean remember how Jiraiya mentioned in the file that that power can wipe out all of Japan and maybe even more!" By this time, tears formed on Rise's face as she then said, "I've already been away from him for so long and I've already told him that I loved him and we're now just dating! I don't know what could happen if he was taken away from me now." Everyone saw how serious Rise was as she began to cry and made a unanimous decision for not just Rise, but for Kurama, to talk to the former ninja.

Before anyone could leave the table, someone had grabbed the file from Rise's hand. "What are you all doing with classified information!" scolded a voice as the group turned to see Naoto holding the file. "I should take you all to jail for just possessing classified information on a person." Rise stood up from the table and got closer to Naoto and said, "Dojima-san gave us that file because Kurama wanted to know that he can trust us after learning his secret about his past! Now can you please give it back!?" Rise words fell on deaf ears as Naoto held the folder under her arm and excused himself before leaving with the folder.

"Well," said Kanji with annoyance in his voice, "that went well. What are we going to do now?" No one had an answer and without that folder, they now run the risk of losing the Dojimas' trust. "We need to get that folder back," said Yukiko, "but how?" The Investigation Team now faced a difficult challenge of how to get that folder back before Ryotaro found out they lost it.

***With Naoto***

Naoto was reluctantly in the men's room with the folder and entered one of the stalls. He adjusted his pants to fit slightly above his knees and a pair of dark blue panties soon followed as Naoto sat on the toilet. _Even though this place seems to be the most private,_ Naoto thought as he slightly relaxed himself, _I'm still paranoid of someone finding out that I'm not a boy._ Naoto continued to look around the locked bathroom stall and through the slight openings between the door and its walls before deciding to get her mind of her paranoia by reading the file.

"Let's see what that group was about to get into," she said as she opened the file. She first examined the pictures from the files: the first picture was a red fox with nine tails that Naoto quickly dismissed as a forgery, the next picture showed a man with blue eyes and spikey blond hair standing next to a pregnant woman with long tomato red hair. Naoto then took out a picture she had received from a group that was looking for a lost child; a picture of a boy, about 12 or 13, with eyes and hair matching the man in the other photo and the boy had whisker-like markings on his face. _This boy is obviously that man's son,_ thought Naoto as she studied the photo, _maybe the boy was kidnapped?_

The next photo showed two people, but Naoto couldn't see their faces, but studied them carefully: one looked almost feminine with raven colored hair while the other was a large figure, most likely and man, with dark blue hair and both of them were wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. What startled the detective was the large object wrapped in bandages that was hanging on to the man's back. _That would have to be a large sword or something,_ Naoto thought as she feigned a grunt. She was beginning to think that this was a joke before she got to the letter.

After reading the letter, twice, Naoto for the first time in her career as a detective was confused as Hell. _Jinchuriki, Akatsuki, what the hell is this crap!?_ Naoto thought as she feigned another grunt, more in agitation than the last one. She then decided to just close the file as she remembered that the one who had written it was Jiraiya, the very author of the Icha Icha series. _This had to have been a prototype of that shameless author,_ Naoto thought as she held the file in her mouth as she cleaned herself. After adjusting her pants, Naoto exited the stall and washed her hands when she saw a man wearing a scarf over his mouth and an eye patch over his left eye using the sink next to her.

"Have you had any luck with finding Naruto?" asked the man. "I'm sorry to saw Kakashi," said Naoto as she dried her hands, "but the only thing that I had found so far was that a boy similar to Naruto was seen with the Dojimas, but that was disproved as I was told that the boy's name was Kurama Dojima. I am currently waiting to get an approval to few all of Kurama's records and study them. I do have a file that is around Naruto, but I'm afraid that it's most likely a forgery." Kakashi was drying his hands when Naoto asked, "Can you tell me about the Akatsuki or maybe what a jinchuriki is?"

"I can tell you," said Kakashi as he threw the paper towel away, "but you must also tell me something in return." Naoto nodded, knowing that the person was from the same place as Naruto and Jiraiya. "The Akatsuki is a criminal organization made of the most dangerous of criminals. I have faced one of them, Itachi Uchiha, and I ended up in the hospital for a long time," said Kakashi, "Now a jinchuriki is a status that causes the person with said title to become viewed as a person of fear and hatred. Naruto was given his title of jinchuriki due to some unfortunate circumstances the moment he was born. Unfortunately, Naruto's parents had died just a few moments after Naruto was born." Naoto calmed herself at the thought of an innocent child being branded to be something of hate and fear.

"Now," said Kakashi as he gave the young detective a questioning look, "why would a girl be in the men's room?" Naoto blushed in fear as this person had discovered her secret. "I-I-I don't know what you're meaning," said Naoto as she fought her blush, "I just…like…like…to wear…panties. Yeah that's right! I'm a…closet transvestite and I wear panties to be comfortable. Please don't tell my secret! Do you know that no one will ever take me seriously again if they learn I like to wear women's underwear!?" Kakashi knew that she was lying, but decided to let it go. "I see," said the Cyclopes, "I can imagine that the work of a detective, let alone **the** Detective Prince, can be stressful at times. I've even seen a boy back from the Elemental Nations go the full distance by wearing a pink kimono while picking flowers." Naoto let out a mental sigh of victory, knowing that her secret is safe.

Naoto quickly ran out the restroom and out of the shopping mall as to avoid any more embarrassment. She arrived home and rushed towards her room after giving her grandfather a quick hello. Setting the folder down on her desk, she removed her shirt to reveal bindings and a folded towel underneath. "That was to close," said Naoto as she examined herself in the mirror, "I thought I was in trouble for a minute there." Putting on another shirt, Naoto decided to reread the file she had obtained and couldn't help but feel a caring connection to Naruto. "I wonder if I met you and had grandfather take you under his wing like he did with me," Naoto thought to herself as she studied the file, "Could we have been friends?"

**Before you say anything about Naoto being in the men's restroom or having her remove her shirt in her room, let me say this: Haven't you ever wonder how Naoto was able to hide being a girl? I mean the only time that Naoto is seen as a girl would be the hot springs scene, the special Christmas moment with Naoto where she wears a dress if you said the right things to her, and the medical examination scene. The other times are just mentioned. I also know that Kakashi hasn't seen Haku when Naruto met him, but Naruto had to have at least told Kakashi how he thought a boy was pretty, much to his embarrassment.**

**Ja Ne**


	14. Chapter 13

**This is a big moment for Naruto and the Investigation Team as the former blond's status as a jinchuriki is revealed. There will be another romance moment here as Rise strongly points out her love.**

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"What!"_ thoughts/mind speak

**"Garula!"** demon/shadow speak

Chapter 13: The Ultimate Test Part 2

***Shirogane Residence; Naoto's Room***

Naoto awoke to the sound of her phone going off and she groggily answered it. "He'o?" said Naoto before a loud voice startled her awake. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in with ME!" said Ryotaro in a loud, yet quiet manner. "What seems to be the problem Dojima-san?" asked Naoto with slight worry in her voice. Naoto knew that she sort of outranked Ryotaro what with the man's boss hiring her, but then again she has heard rumors how the older detective could scare the crap out of anyone.

"That file you took from my nephew and his friends," said Ryotaro with anger still evident in his voice, "it has classified information on MY SON! It bad enough that those people from the Elemental Countries know his secret, but they won't leave him alone! Kurama's been plagued by nightmares and he hasn't had a wink of sleep in three days!" _Did Dojima-san say Elemental Countries?_ Naoto thought as she got out of her bed, _And why would Kurama be suffering nightmares and risking sleep deprivation because of them?_ "I will ask only once, Naoto Shirogane," said Ryotaro in a threatening manner, "Return that file and we can both agree that this never happened. Don't and won't even bother giving you any help with the investigation, no matter what the higher ups say."

After hearing the phone hang up, Naoto looked at the file she took and remembered how Kakashi was eyeing it with curiosity well hidden. Naoto walked towards her private bathroom and jumped in the shower, more in contemplation than bathing. _Why would Kakashi and his friend bother Dojima-san's son to where he has nightmares,_ thought the detective as she let her body get used to the warm water, _another question is to why Kurama would get nightmares because of those people?_

Naoto finished her shower and performed her morning ritual, apply bindings to hide the obvious piece of evidence that screams 'girl' to the world, follow that with a folded towel to make the ploy more convincing, get dressed, brush teeth, and finish it off with coffee. Naoto grabbed the file and was lost in deep thought about one word that had popped into her skull: jinchuriki. _Translated it means 'power of human sacrifice' and from what the file says,_ Naoto thought as she looked at vanilla colored folder, _a jinchuriki can have the power to completely obliterate a chain of islands with the Nine-Tailed Fox being the second strongest out of them._ A chill ran down Naoto's spine as she imagined the destruction that a small child could possess. _But then there's what Hatake-san said,_ Naoto thought as she walked out of her grandfather's estate, _a jinchuriki is hated or feared, most likely due to the power one could possess…then why would they think one's here?_

Naoto was told that the Elemental Countries had a unique atmosphere that allowed anyone to access a power called chakra and perform jutsus. At first she didn't believe it, but then she witnessed someone breathing fire when her grandfather brought her on a trip there to visit a pen pal. Thinking on it now, Naoto could honestly saw that demons a in a sense, magic, exists against her own chagrin. _Why would anyone brand a child with such power,_ Naoto thought as a lone tear fell from her face, _That child must have been so lonely…just like me._

***Dojima Residence***

A few days has passed since Naruto had given the Inaba Investigation Team the file that contained Jiraiya's report about the tailed beasts and then losing it to Naoto, and Naruto was having multiple headaches from his past. If the visits from the Konoha Ninja weren't bad enough, the nightmares he would have were worse as he envisioned how all of 'Kurama's' friends would turn their backs on him or shun him in fear, being forcibly dragged back to the Elemental Nations and being locked up, never to see his family again. These nightmares would force the former blond to stay up all night, much to Ryotaro's chagrin, but what was worse, sleep deprivation or losing the ones he could call family forever.

**"Kit, you need to sleep,"** said Fox Kurama with great concern, **"I'll do what all I can to hold those nightmares back."** Ever since the third nightmare on day one of his kit's recovery, Kurama has been holding nightmare after nightmare back, but new nightmares keep forming before the fox could even think of catching his breath. **_The kit's been awake for three days with very little sleep,_** thought Fox Kurama as could remember the pained screams after each nightmare, **_Damn those Konoha Ninja for doing this to MY kit!_**

***Junes Food Court***

Nanako was sitting by herself thinking about her brother and how he was suffering due to his now chronic nightmares. _Naruto-nii needs help,_ thought Nanako as she sipped at her slushy, _but what can I do?_ After finishing her drink, Nanako tossed the empty cup into the trash bin and left Junes with clouds over her head. On her way home, Nanak passed by a shrine where she would sometimes see Yu there, spending time with a strange fox. Nanako walked up to the shrine and grabbed one of the emas and wrote her wish on it. She deposited the wooden plate and left, not noticing a fox wearing an apron pick it up.

***Amagi Inn Hot Springs***

The kunoichis were relaxing in the springs and talking about how Naruto was able to avoid them. "It's amazing that Naruto has gone for three years as this 'Kurama' guy," said Sakura, "Can a Transformation Jutsu really last that long?" Kurenai looked at the rosette and said, "I don't know, but I think that _is_ Naruto. I never would have thought that he would grow his hair out like that." In truth, Kurenai thought that Naruto has changed a lot aside from appearance as the former blond looked more mature. "It still doesn't matter," said Ino, "Naruto is one of us, and we need to bring him back." Hinata couldn't care less as she now has a chance to tell Naruto that she loves him. This was their only chance to get Naruto back.

***Tatsuhime Shrine***

Yu decided to stop at the shrine to check on the fox and as if on command, the fox appeared with an ema plate. Yu picked up the plate and immediately recognized the handwriting as Nanako's and read the contents:

_I wish my brother could get better and stop having those nightmares. He's been up for three days and I don't know what to do._

_Nanako_

Yu grabbed his cellphone and dial a few numbers. _Kurama needs us,_ thought Yu as someone picked up on the other side of the call. "Yosuke here," said Yosuke's voice.

"Yosuke, it's time…"

***With Naoto***

Naoto was almost at the Dojima residence when she saw one of the teens that were from the Elemental Countries: Shikamaru Nara. "Troublesome," said Shikamaru as he lazily rubbed the back of his head, "Doesn't Naruto know that he belongs back home with us in Konoha?" Naoto walked up to Shikamaru and asked, "Did you find Naruto?" Shikamaru saw Naoto and said, "Yeah, and he really had us fooled. We never would have thought that the knucklehead would go so far as to not just change his looks, but his name as well. Who knew that Kurama Dojima was really Naruto Uzumaki?"

_What!?_ Naoto thought as her target was right underneath her nose before another thought entered her mind, _So if Kurama is Naruto, then does that mean that he had a horrible life. If so, then why do these people want him back?_ Naoto left Shikamaru after saying that she had to go see someone and continued her trek towards the Dojima residence in hopes that she wasn't too late.

***Dojima Residence***

Yu and the other stood in front of the door and they were about to ring the bell when Naoto showed up. "What are you doing here? Here to rat us out for knowing classified information that Dojima-san and Kurama-kun trusted us with?" said Rise as she glared daggers at the young detective. "I…uh…I," said Naoto as he tried to find the right words, but then relented, "I wanted to apologize for my actions the other day. I was hasty with random civilians knowing classified records about anyone. I had no idea it was this serious; Kurama, or should I say Naruto, has such power sealed inside of him."

Naoto hand Yu the file and was about to leave when Yosuke grabbed the back of Naoto's shirt. "Na ah," said Yosuke as he pulled the detective towards the Investigation Team, "You know what's in that file. You need to know the other half and besides, Kurama will never accept a half-assed apology like that." Naoto didn't really want to see Kurama after getting Dojima upset, but he had no choice as Kanji rang the doorbell.

The doorbell rang as Kurama sluggishly walked towards the door and looked through the peephole; it was Yu and the others. Kurama opened the door and quickly escorted them inside. "Dude," said Kanji as he looked over the brunette's messy condition, "you look like Hell." Kurama let out a long, tired sigh and said, "Sleep deprivation for three days straight does that to a person."

Kurama didn't even bother to even put his make-up on, put the contact on his eye, or even put his hair in the usual ponytail. His eyes, in full view, looked like aquamarine orbs with multiple layers of dust inside red spheres. His breathing was slightly erratic from fatigue and fear, and his legs acted like they were about to give way. Overall, Kurama's condition made Bigfoot look like a well groomed person.

"Kurama-kun, please sit down," said Yukiko as she got Kurama to the couch and got him to sit, "You need your rest." Yu looked at his adoptive cousin and was glad that he and everyone else decided to ask him about his past. "So Kurama," said Yu as he looked at his fatigued cousin, "care to tell us about Icha Icha Secrets?" Naruto looked at everyone and gathered his thoughts as he let out another tired sigh.

"I understand that you read the file," said Naruto in a serious tone. "We have read the file, Naruto," said Naoto, "Is it true about a jinchuriki's power?" Naruto gave Naoto a hard look before he nodded and said, "Yes, and I'm a jinchuriki myself." Everyone was stunned; In front of them was someone that possessed enough power to wipe Japan off the Earth. "Which one?" asked Chie and everyone nearly had heart attacks when Naruto held up nine fingers; he had the second strongest tailed-beast sealed inside of him.

"My mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was the previous container," said Naruto as he began his explanation, "that was until a masked man released it not two minutes when I was born. The Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, was somehow put under the guy's hypnotic powers and attacked Konohagakure, my home village. Many people were killed when the fox attacked and all seemed lost…that was until my father, Minato Namikaze, who was the Fourth Hokage at the time used a sealing jutsu to seal Kurama inside of an infant…me." Appalled by what she heard, Chie asked, "Who would seal something like that inside of a baby, let alone their **own **child?" Naruto looked at her and asked, "Could you bring yourself to ask someone to sacrifice their own child so that you can stop what could be the most dangerous amount of pure energy." The question was answered by silence as Nanako soon joined the group.

"Thought so," said Naruto as he continued his tale, "Anyway, both of my parents died that day; Kushina died of complications and my father died from using the jutsu, at least, that's what I know. My father's final wish was that I was to be seen as a hero for being the only one who could possess pure raw energy and power during the time of the sealing…but everyone saw something else. After the previous Hokage reclaimed the mantle, the old man revealed that the fox was sealed inside of me, in hopes of my father's wish would be fulfilled." Rise looked at the jinchuriki with sadness in her eyes. "It never was, was it?" asked Rise, only for Naruto to sadly shake his head.

"No," said Naruto with pain in his voice, "For twelve, maybe thirteen years of my life, I was given nothing but shit. Stores either raised their prices to a ridiculous price or refused to sell me anything at all, mobs would chase me to beat the living crap out of me or break in and trash my apartment, and I've even had assassination attempts when I was an infant. The village really done it when they wanted to execute me, but thankfully, Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, told me of my parents' back-up plan for me to live here and here we are today."

Naruto looked at everyone's at saw the look of angst and disgust. "Well," said Naruto closing his eyes with fear, "give me your worst." Naruto braced himself for pain that would never appear as Rise pulled the messy brunette into one giant hug. "What's going on?" asked Naruto in confusion, "I thought you, Rise, would be upset that I've been lying to you, or that I'm a monster like the Demon Fox?"

*SMACK!* Everyone was surprised when they saw Rise give Naruto a hard slap on the face. Rise then looked at Naruto with tears running down her face and said, "Don't you ever say that! You've been through so much pain, all because those idiots couldn't tell the difference between a demon and an innocent child. I want you to know that ever since I met you three years ago, I regretted not stalling my parents any further so I could tell you that I loved you. All the songs I would sing would be from the bottom of my heart in hopes of reaching you." Rise then buried her face into Naruto's shoulder. "During all the breaks I would get, I spent them thinking about you!" said Rise as she sobbed through her tears, "Every time I go to bed, I see that cute grin of yours, those sexy whisker marks on your face, and that sunny mop on your head. You always gave me the courage I need to face all those reporters, all of those crowds of people, I would sometimes be too scared to even perform before I remember to imagine seeing you and only you before me. I…I love you my Foxy Prince!" Naruto was surprised, yet again, by Rise's passionate speech as well as her milk and honey kiss.

Naoto had tears in his eyes as Naruto and Rise broke their kiss and said, "You were supposed to be seen as a hero, but you experience things that no child, under any circumstances, should ever go through." Yu looked at his cousin and said, "Naruto, you will always be our friend. You may have the power of a demon, but you are Naruto Uzumaki…no, you're Kurama Dojima, one of our closest friends and we will always be with you till the end."

The entire group hugged Kurama and it lasted until the sounds of soft snoring can be heard. "I'll take Kurama to bed," said Rise as Kanji helped her carry her sleeping boyfriend, "can't have him fall asleep during our dates." Rise watched as Kanji set Kurama in bed and then left as the idol sat next to the futon, watching her boyfriend sleep. "Always remember this, Kurama," said Rise as she gently rubbed the brunette's forehead, "I will always love you…no matter what."

***Naruto's Dream***

Naruto awoke and found himself inside a jail cell with the Konoha 11, their senseis, and Tsunade standing in front of the cell. "You couldn't hide from us, Naruto Uzumaki," said the Fifth Hokage, "You're in a cell in Konoha, where you belong, Demon Fox!" _Dear God,_ thought Naruto as he looked around in horror, _anything but this!_ Pain soon flashed in his head as Naruto felt something tear his mind apart.

"Don't fight the truth Naruto," said Sakura with the same hateful voice from _that_ day, "You allowed the Demon Fox to take control of you and you murder those innocent people in Inaba!" The ninja move to reveal a pile of corpse and to Naruto's purest horror, Nanako's corpse was at the very top, looking at him with her lifeless eyes in pain. As more pain entered his head, Naruto could hear the voices of all of his friends from Inaba scream at him, asking him why he had killed them, but hearing Nanako's crying voice ripped his heart to shreds. "Stop it!" cried Naruto as the pain continued to pulse in his skull, "STOP IT!"

Naruto was about to give into the pain, a new voice entered his mind and it was one he had never heard since the accident. "Naruto," said the voice as the pain vanished and a cool, gentle breeze entered Naruto's head. Naruto looked at the source to find that the voice belonged to a woman short, chin length brown hair; Chisato Dojima, his adoptive mother. "Mom…" said Naruto as he felt his mind begin to mend itself, "Are you some sort of comfort from Kurama?" Chisato chuckled and simply erased the ninja and the corpses with a wave of her hand. "A little fox told me that someone needed some comforting," said Chisato as she freed Naruto from the chains.

After being set free, Naruto hugged the woman in front of him and cried into her shoulders. "You don't know how much I miss you," cried Naruto as his mother cooed him with her gentle voice. "I've watch over you and the others," said Chisato as she ran her fingers though Naruto's long hair, "I know that not a day goes by that you don't think about me." The mother soon pushed Naruto away from the hug and looked at him directly in the eyes. "Naruto," said Chisato, "you choose who you want to be and you choose your path in life. Never let anyone take control of your choices, let your strength guide you when you need it the most." Naruto soon felt himself waking up and Chisato was starting to vanish. "No!" cried Naruto as he reached out to Chisato, "I need you!" Before Naruto woke up, he heard his adoptive mother say, "Be strong, my little fox."

***Outside of Naruto's Dream***

Naruto woke up to find Rise next to him, rubbing his whiskered cheek. "The only thing aside from my own hand that has touched these cheeks was make-up," said Naruto as he placed a gentle hand on Rise's face, "It was always irritating, but this…I can get used to, Hime." Rise giggled as she lightly propped Naruto up and said, "Those marks really add that foxy charm of yours and make you look so handsome." Laughing a little, Naruto then said, "I've always feared what those fan girls of mine would do if they saw these. They'd probably crush me to death with one death hug after the other." Rise then gently ran her hand through Naruto's dark brown hair until her hand was behind his skull, with Naruto doing the same. The two of them then pulled each other closer to each other and went into the best kiss either of them had…for the third time.

Seconds felt like minutes as the two were engrossed with the other's taste before Rise broke the kiss. "How about you get some rest, Foxy," said Rise as she helped Kurama lay down in the futon, "We have a big day once you recover." Kurama closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep, knowing that his love for Rise was stronger than ever before.

***Tatsuhime Shrine***

Nanako approached the shrine where she made her wish and took out a small coin purse. "Thank you for helping Kurama-nii," said Nanako as she left a generous donation, "I was saving this for Onii-san's birthday, but you deserve it after helping him." Nanako put her hands together and said a quick prayer, thanking the shrine again. Before she left, Nanako felt a presence that was all too familiar to her and with a smile and a few tears, she left knowing that everyone she loved was being watched over.

**I hope the romance scene was slightly better than the last one. I was never had much interest in the romance genre to full get a grip of it, but at least I'm trying. I am really glad that you all like the story and I also appreciate your comments and reviews of Mask of the Fox.**

**Ja Ne**


	15. Chapter 14

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"Garula!"** demon/Shadow speak

Chapter 14: Forging Revelations

***Yasogami High; Gymnasium***

It has been a few days ever since Kurama was found and now said brunette was wishing he was still missing. Kurama peeked out from the curtains to see the gym packed with students and faculty members alike; among them were the Inaba Investigation Team and the Konoha shinobi. Everyone was waiting for the big announcement that was planned today as it involved Kurama Dojima.

_I don't know if I can do this,_ thought Kurama as he slowly backed away from the hiding spot. "Kurama," said the principal, scaring Kurama half to death, "you need to just relax and this will all be over." The principal already knew that Kurama was really the boy that the Konoha-nin was after and wanted the boy to be comfortable with his revelation. Knowing that he couldn't delay it any longer, Kurama let out a long sigh and signaled the principal to begin.

The elderly man walked towards the podium and tapped on the mic, getting everyone's attention. "Sorry for the sudden delay," said the principal as his voice echoed through the gym, "Now before we continue, I would like you all to respect the speaker by not asking a lot of personal or irrelevant questions. If you cannot respect Kurama as he tells us the reason for his disappearance, then you will be escorted out the gym." The Investigation Team, minus Teddie, present were slightly worried about how people would react about the Midnight Channel being the reason for the kidnapping/murder case. "Now I would like to have Kurama Dojima come up to the stage so he can elaborate on what has happened."

Kurama walked up towards the podium as the principal stood by and let him have the spotlight. "Hello everybody," said Kurama as he could have sworn that he could hear his fan girls hold their screams of joy before he let out a long sigh. A large screen was lowered from the ceiling to reveal a large picture on Naruto Uzumaki next to a picture of Kurama Dojima. "I'm guessing you're wondering about why I have the picture of the missing boy that most of the new students we have gotten are looking for," said Kurama as he took a wet cloth and wiped the make-up from his face, revealing his whisker-like birthmarks, "I am that boy they're looking for. My real name is Naruto Uzumaki and I am from a far off continent known as the Elemental Countries." Kurama practically saw the eye of his fan girls turn into hearts at the sight of his whiskers and continued, "I was…I was… *sigh* Look, I was banished for something that was supposed to happen, but for some bullshit reason, the council from the village I was originally from had decided to kick me out for hurting their precious golden boy when said brat tried to abandon the village."

"It was sixteen years ago that my real parents want me to have a happy, normal life…well…were they ever wrong," said Kurama as the gym had fallen into silence, "For the first twelve, maybe thirteen, years of my life and due to circumstances out of my own control, I have experienced the worst form of child abuse anyone could face. I was beaten, kicked out of stores, sabotaged at school, and…even had _worse_ done by the other villagers." Gasps were plentiful as the other students watched the most popular guy admit that he was abused to such a level. "I was never allowed to have Valentine's Day, never allowed to have a Christmas…hell…my usual birthday gifts were always having my rundown apartment broken into, all my stuff destroyed or stolen, and every villager beat the living shit out of me," said Kurama as he watched the looks on all that were present and was surprised by a rare sight: Mr. Morooka, aka King Moron, crying. **"That one's going in the record books kit,"** said Fox Kurama as even he was annoyed by the teacher. No one had a dry eye in the room…maybe aside from a few Konoha-nin, Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Kanji, and Kurama himself.

"It was three years ago, after I was banished," said Kurama as he continued as Ryotaro and Nanako soon walked onto the stage next to Kurama, "I was told about a back-up plan my parents had. This plan would allow Ryotaro and Chisato Dojima to adopt me into their family and from there, I slowly became who you all known as Kurama Dojima. I have applied make-up to hide the birthmarks adorned on my face, irritating by the way, permanently dyed my sun-blond hair a chestnut auburn, and with a final touch…" Kurama quickly, but carefully, removed his red contact and said, "I've worn a red contact over my left eye so that I would appear to have heterochromia iridim. I've done all of this so that…so that I could hide from my past as you have now heard that it wasn't…pleasant."

"The reason I had 'vanished' was because of the amount of stress I was put under," said Kurama as sent a hidden message to the Investigation Team, "I started to become afraid when a few of my friends had gone missing and I saw the ghosts of my past haunting me. I then met up with an old friend of mine, most of you, if not all of you, know her as Rise Kujikawa and the both of us learned that ever since we met three years ago, we've had feelings for each other and when she went missing…I couldn't take it. I've spent all of my time looking for the one person I felt that I have truly loved that I didn't keep track of time and I just…collapsed from fatigue. I am truly sorry for worrying you all. Any questions?"

A hand was raised as Kurama pointed to the owner of that hand. "Are you going to go by Kurama or Naruto?" asked a male Yasogami High student. "I will go by Kurama, but you are all welcome to call me by either name if you're comfortable with either," answered Kurama as he pointed to another hand in the air. "What are going to do about the soccer team," asked a student that Kurama recognized to be on the team. "I'm still going to play. You can't get rid of me that easily and someone needs to keep Bonehead in line," said Kurama as the audience laughed along with Daisuke as another hand rose in the air. Kurama pointed and the female student asked, "Are you going to go back to your home country?"

Silence soon fell into the gym before Kurama spoke up. "If I have anything to say about going back," said Kurama as he then eyed the Konoha-nin, hoping that they would get the message, "I will not, I repeat, I will not go back to that living nightmare. I have everything I have ever really wanted right here: a family, true friends, a loving girlfriend. Why would I give all that up just to return to a lost and empty life?" Everyone, aside from the Konoha-nin, cheered as they know that Kurama would stay with them. Kurama couldn't help but smile, knowing that everyone here in Inaba have truly accepted him.

As he walked off the stage and onto the gym floor, Kurama was tackled into a hug by Rise as the girl soon kissed him. "Did you have to do that in front of both of our fan clubs, Rise-chan?" asked Kurama as he broke the kiss and heard so many hearts shatter. Giving him a nod, Rise then wrapped an arm around her boyfriend's waist as the two left the gym to have lunch with the other members of the Investigation Team.

With the Konoha shinobi, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were silently planning on ruining Naruto's relationship with Rise. _I'll show that skank that Naruto belongs with us!_ Sakura thought as he eyes shot venom as the pop star clinging to Naruto. Sasuke looked at the one that he called brother with pleading eyes in deep thought. _I will get you to forgive me,_ thought Sasuke, _Naruto._

***Yasogami High; Roof***

Kurama had followed Rise and the rest of the Inaba Investigation Team to the roof to enjoy lunch until Yu handed Kurama a pair of glasses. "What are these for?" asked the brunette as he looked over the glasses. "Now that you have a Persona," said Yosuke as the mood soon got serious, "you can now enter the TV and fight the Shadows inside and maybe help out with the mystery here." Yukiko followed and said, "You don't have to join us, but you are welcome to." Kurama looked at the glasses and thought about what he would be doing; remembering how he was in a world **inside** the television, it was obvious that the police couldn't do a damn thing about it and, counting himself, there were five cases of kidnapping. The person needed to be stopped, no matter what. "Count me in," said Kurama.

"Now then," asked Yu, "do you happened to remember what had happened when you were kidnapped?" Kurama sat in silence, trying to remember what had happened. "I remember that I was going to tell Rise-chan my big secret when the doorbell rang," said Kurama, "It wasn't until I heard Rise-chan's muffled scream that I charged outside. There I met some random guy and asked him where my girlfriend was taken and he pointed down the street. I was about to give chase when someone grabbed me…then everything got hazy. I can't even remember what the guy looked like."

Before anyone else had added their two cents, a voice interrupted them as a few Konoha-nin approached them. "Naruto," said Sakura as she hugged him, much to Rise's chagrin, "I'm so glad that we found you!" Kurama pulled himself free of the rosette's grip and said, "Well I'm not! Why are you so persistent on finding me?" Sasuke walked up to the brunette and said, "Listen Naruto, I'm really sorry for how the village treated you because of me…" The Uchiha soon saw the glares from the Investigation Team and continued, "but you can come back now and have that normal life that your father, the Fourth Hokage, wanted you to have. We can all be friends again."

Kurama stood up and looked at Sasuke with an intimidating stare. "Let me say some things," said Kurama as he stood tall, "One: I _was_ your friend until you shoved a Chidori into my chest. That was a real nice one, _buddy._ Two: Why would I go back to the village so that everything can 'go back to the way things were' which means I would become a pariah again while you, Uchiha, get everything handed to you on a silver platter. You nothing but a cheater who takes shortcuts to obtain power and your Sharingan proves that for a fact. And lastly, I finally have everything I truly wanted: a loving family, true friends, a good reputation…I even have a girlfriend for crying out loud. I'm not going back to that Hellhole!"

"N-n-n-Naruto-kun," said Hinata as she drew Kurama's attention, "I have always…I have always wanted to tell you that I loved you and I never cared what the other villagers thought of you." Kurama saw the tears in Hinata's eyes and let out a long sigh. "Hinata," said Kurama as he knew that this was going to be painful, "I've known about how you watch me from a distance and about your crush on me…but I didn't want to hurt you as I couldn't return those feelings to you. I am glad that there was one person who didn't see me as a pariah, but how can I love someone when my heart was never there. That's why I've always played the idiot who can't see love unless it slapped him hard enough that the Grim Reaper would feel it. I truly am sorry, Hinata, for breaking your heart after all those years." Although distraught, Hinata was glad she was able to confess to Naruto…even if it did lead to heart break.

"I really don't get what you see in _her_, Naruto-kun," said Sakura as she sent a glare towards Rise, "I mean she could just be using you like the skank she is." _She did not just do that,_ thought Yosuke as he watched Rise be held back by Kurama, _This will NOT be pretty._ Kurama sent the most hateful glare towards Sakura, sending chills down her spine. "So it's Naruto-kun, huh?" said Kurama as anger filled his voice, "After bringing back your precious Sasuke-kun, after saving your damn life multiple times, even just trying to talk to you and it didn't take until learning who my parents were and my status for you, Sakura Haruno, to recognized me as more than a teammate. You practically made it a sport to beat the living crap out of me every damn day just for saying something that you didn't like! Well guess what!?" Kurama motioned the Investigation Team to follow him as he head towards the door inside the building and said, "I'm through with you…Bitch!"

"Way to go Sakura," said Sasuke as he place a hand on his face, "you just had to insult his girlfriend. Even I know you don't insult a guy's girlfriend while they're together and now Naruto will never come back to us!" Sakura now let out a sigh of regret, knowing that she royally messed up. "Maybe if we get Naruto-kun to forgive…" Sakura said before Hinata interrupted her. "If we're going to get Naruto-kun back then we will have to earn his forgiveness, and before I forget," said Hinata before she gave the rosette a hard slap to the face, "that was for insulting Kurama's girlfriend!" _Great Sakura,_ Sakura scolded herself, _now you drove Naruto even further away than before._

***Shadow World; Entrance/Exit***

After classes had ended, the Inaba Investigation Team decided to help Naruto get experience with his Persona. "So…" asked Yosuke as he seemed to fidget a bit, "where should we go?" There was silence until Kurama headed towards where the Uzumaki/Dojima Sewage Plant and said, "We might as well go to the sewage plant…what better place to train than my own dungeon."

As they were walking, Teddie skipped towards Kurama and asked, "If you're from the same place as those ninja, can you do the same thing they can?" The brunette sighed and said, "I can, but I'm unable to because my chakra is sealed meaning that I can't access not even a splinter's worth of chakra. I'm not too worried about it though." Confused, Chie asked Kurama for his reason. "It's simple," said Kurama as everyone made it to the sewage plant, "aside from this, I have a normal life; I'm not afraid to be out in public, I enjoy my birthday now, and I'm loved by so many…even if most of them are the psychotic fan girls. I have no reason to get my chakra unsealed with the exception to be reminded of my past of how different I am."

Yu walked up to Kurama and place a hand on his adoptive cousin's shoulder. "Don't worry, Naruto," said the silver-haired teen, "you will always be our friend and we will help you deal with your past." Kurama looked at his cousin and threw him a sincere smile, knowing that he really had friends who were there for him. Yu was glad to see his cousin in good spirits as something had gone off in his head…

**Thou art I… And I am thou…**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**It brings thee closer to the truth…**

**Thou shalt be blessed when creating**

**Personas of the Hanged Man Arcana…**

Yu now realized that the he had created a social link with his adoptive cousin and was able to help him with his past. "You can count on me," said Kurama as he pumped his fist with determination in his eyes, "I won't let you guys down."

**Now that Kurama is a part of the investigation team, the team will be more stronger even if Kurama keeps his chakra sealed. I know I have replaced the previous Hanged Man Social Link with Naruto/Kurama, but it just seemed to jump out at that moment and it is quite fitting. Now the Konoha-nin will try even harder to get Naruto to come back with them.**

**Ja Ne**


	16. Chapter 15

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**.

"Persona!" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"Persona!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

Chapter 15: The Fox's Groove

***Uzumaki/Dojima Sewage Plant***

_Déjà vu,_ thought Naruto as he stared down two Shadows before him as he felt certain euphoria in his body. A euphoria that was sort of drilled into him: the feeling of fighting. No fight or flight…just battle. Despite wanting to escape his past, Naruto had actually missed this feeling and even though he always had his adrenaline pumping when playing soccer…it never felt this good. One could actually get drunk off this feeling…

"Kurama-kun!" said Yukiko snapping the brunette out of his stupor, "Snap out of it!" Kurama regained his bearings as the whole event replayed in his mind…

_Flash Back Jutsu!_

_(Kurama/Naruto's P.O.V.)_

_We entered this accursed place and split into two teams; Yu, Yosuke, Teddie and Chie on one team, and Kanji, Yukiko, Rise-chan, and myself on another. My team took a tunnel that went left while Yu's went right and it wasn't a good five meters that we ran into a group of Shadows. I let Yukiko and Kanji take the lead and watched them try to fight off the group of Shadows before us; five of them if I counted right. Much to our luck, these Shadows were strong against Fire and Electrical attacks…my turn._

_I rush into the fray and called for my Persona, Kitsune, hoping to blow them off their feet. I actually find it more by coincidence than irony that my Persona is a fox and the first move I had it use was Marin Karin. I watched as Kitsune approached a knight-looking Shadow and lo and behold, Kitsune turned itself into a nude woman with cloud wisps that just barely hide the…areas. I watched the Shadow giggle perversely and it began to attack its fellow Shadows. I had to stifle a laugh when I saw Kanji on the floor passed out with blood coming from his nose. That quickly disappeared when I saw the evil look on not just Yukiko's face, but Rise-chan's as well. How the Hell was I supposed to know the Sexy Jutsu would do THAT much damage. Note to self: bring athletic cup next time._

_There were three Shadows as the one I charmed snapped out of its daze. I summoned Kitsune and went for Magarula. To my luck, two of those Shadows were knocked down, but that knight. I followed my attack with a good ol' 1-2 combo from when I took some boxing lessons. I learned that armor is armor as I felt pain in my knuckles. Yukiko was trying to revive Kanji when the knight rushed towards them. I quickly sent Kitsune to stop the Shadow and my Persona gave it a nice drop kick. Kanji quickly got back to his feet and was able to knock the night down and the three of use rushed in for an All-Out Attack._

_I dealt the final attack on the knight and as it evaporated, a strange, yet familiar, feeling entered my body: the feeling of fighting. It felt so good, that I didn't even hear Kurama yelling at me. It was so intoxicating…so invigorating…_

_Flash Back End_

(General P.O.V.)

"You alright man?" asked Kanji as he had tissues in his nose. "Sorry about that," said Kurama sheepishly, "Three years away from fighting like a soldier does things, huh?" Rise saw the troubled look on Kurama's face and knew that he was just beginning to have trouble. _I hope Kurama-kun will be alright,_ Rise thought as she watched her three friends finish off the last two Shadows.

With Yu's group, Yu had just finished off a Shadow with Izanagi as he and his group ventured in the plant. "Wow," said Chie as she tried to catch her breath after the fight, "these one are strong." Yu had seen that the Shadows were getting stronger for some reason, but he shook it off as slight fatigue. It wasn't until Teddie noticed some glowing writing on the walls that got Yu thinking.

Walking up to one of the writings, Yu carefully touched it and felt a surge of energy shock him. "Sensei!" said Teddie as the silver-haired teen shook his tingling hand. "What was that?" asked Chie as she looked at the writings, "I thought Izanagi was strong against electricity?" Yu was thinking on the same lines until a thought entered his mind. "I don't think that's just energy," said Yu as he gather the writings another look, "I think it's pure energy." Although writings were almost archaic, Yu carefully read the writings out loud. "Cha…kra…" said Yu as he eyed the writings, "su…suppress…suppression. I think this is the seal that suppresses Kurama's chakra." Yosuke looked and saw the same exact writings everywhere and noticed that they were…bulging for some reason.

"Some of these things look like they're about to burst," said Yosuke as he examined one of the writings that was floating in the water and thought, _How is that one not washing away?_ Teddie carefully sniffed one of the engorged writings and said, "They smell like Kurama, except that it's something else." Chie looked at another piece of writing on the floor and noticed that it was moving as if…it was breathing.

"G-g-guys," said Yosuke as he backed away from one of the writings that was twitching violently as raw energy moved around, "I think this one's gonna blow!" Everyone saw it pulse from the pressure as Yu realized that everyone could get hurt from it and he had to act fast. "Get behind me! I'm going to try something!" said Yu as his comrades got behind him, "Persona! Izanagi!"

At Kurama's group, Kurama had just finished of a Shadow when he felt his body pulse and fell to his knees clutching his stomach. "Naruto-kun!" said Rise as she rushed towards her fallen boyfriend, "What's wrong!?" Kurama tried to answer, but another pulse of pain caused him to yell in pain as markings appeared on his face. A roar echoed from deeper inside the plant, reminding the group of the fox sealed inside. Worried, Rise contacted the others to alert them of what's happening as she thought, _Please be okay, Naruto-kun._

With Yu and his group, Rise's voice echoed in their minds. _"Guys,"_ said Rise via mind link, _"something's seriously wrong with Kurama-kun! He just fell down in pain!"_ Studying the pulsing form in front of them, Yu said, "We found some writings that we believe are suppressing Kurama's chakra and worse is that one of them looks like it's about to blow!"

The form pulsed as blue mist leaked from it, giving Yu an idea. Knowing Yu's plan, Izanagi took his spear and stabbed the human sized bulge which then caused a blast of blue mist to erupt from the wound. "Yu, what are you doing!?" yelled Chie as she held on to Yosuke with an iron grip, fearing for not just her life, but Yu's as well.

Yu stood his ground as Izanagi took an immense amount pain as the chakra continued blasting out of the inflamed writing. _It feels like my skin is on fire while fire ants are turning me into their personal feast,_ thought the silver-haired teen as the pain crawled around his body, _Hang in their Izanagi._ Izanagi struggled as he held his ground while the pulsing writing slowly shrank as the blue mist sprayed in his face. Yosuke had Jiraiya heal Izanagi, but even with the aid of his friend, Yu felt all the pain as healed wounds began burning as his vision blurred. _Need…to…hold on,_ Yu thought as he fought the pain as he felt the burns heal and then a more intense burn erupted from the wounds.

With Kurama's team, Rise was leading the team to the location of Yu's team as Kanji had to resort to dragging Kurama by his ankles as the brunette was writhing in pain. "Hang in there Senpai," said Kanji as he felt a jerk on his arm as Kurama thrashed about, "How much further do we have to go!?" Yukiko had Konohana-Sakuya heal Kurama as Take-Mikazuchi carried Kitsune. "We're almost there Kani-kun," said Rise as she and Himiko followed the familiar sense of the other team's power, "it shouldn't be too long."

Rise had a surprisingly calm face as she took charge, but she was panicking on the inside as each cry of pain from her boyfriend frightened her. _Please hang in there, Kurama-kun,_ Rise cried in her mind as a lone tear fell from her eyes, _I don't want to lose you like I did three years ago when I left Inaba._ As Rise continued running, she felt an odd presence in her mind but at the same time, it was familiar…like she knew who this was. **"That is because you and I are one and the same, Lady Rise,"** said a voice in the idol's mind. Rise thought for a moment until one name entered her mind, _Himiko?_ Gentle laughter was heard as the voice then said, **"Yes, Lady Rise, it is I…Himiko, your Persona."**

_How are you talking to me?_ Rise thought as Himiko said, **"As your Persona, I am a part of you and we can communicate via mind link like Kurama-kun and his friend, the Nine-Tailed Fox."** Rise lead the team around the corner as an immense level of power had caused a chill to run down Rise's spine. **"Just beyond that door, Lady Rise,"** said Himiko as she felt the power, **"This power…how can one human possess so much?" **_Is this the power of a Jinchuriki?_ Rise asked herself as her team made it to the door where Yu's team was just on the other side, _It's awesome._

Yu was still struggling with the writing as Rise, Kanji, and Yukiko walked in with Kurama writhing in pain with each twist and turn. "Kurama-kun!" said Chie as a yell of pain roared from the fallen brunette followed by Yu's own grunts of pain as he struggled with his battle. "Something must be wrong with Naruto's powers," said Teddie as he summoned Kintoki-Douji and began healing both Kurama and Yu, "this is going to be beary ugly!" Yu soon let out a mighty roar as Izanagi tightened the grip he had on the spear and gave the swollen seal a mighty stab, causing it to explode.

An explosion of blue energy pushed everyone into the walls before the writing returned to normal. Kuarama calmed down as the pain was lifted, not noticing the blue mist enveloping the other Persona users before disappearing. It took everyone a few minutes to get on their feet in a dizzy stupor. "Ow…" said Kanji as he held his head, "what the hell was that?" Yukiko weakly got to her feet with a hand over her stomach and said, "I think we should call it a day, I 'm not feeling too well." Everyone else agreed as all but Kurama were holding their stomachs and left the Sewage Plant.

***Junes; Grocery Department***

Nanako was observing the produce and was about to grab something when someone grabbed the produce forcebly. Nanako turned around to see a boy about Kurama's and Yu's age in an orange shirt with large eyes that had a distant look that Kurama would have at times. "What do you want," said the boy in a dark manner, "Get out of my way." Nanako couldn't help but freeze until someone said, "Is something wrong, Nanako?" The girl looked to see Kurama and Yu standing with Kurama having his arms crossed and Yu staring the boy in orange down.

The boy saw Kurama and Yu and then ran off, disappearing in the aisle. "Hey wait-" said Kurama as he then felt a hand on his shoulder. "Nii-san, Yu," said Nanako as her fear was erased and hugged Kurama with a smile on her face. Kurama lowered himself onto his knees and said, "Hey about we finish shopping and head home. I can give you a piggy-back ride one they way home." Yu picked up the basket as the trio went shopping for the rest of what was needed at home.

On the way home, Kurama kept his promise and was carrying Nanako on his back, who had shortly fallen asleep sometime after leaving the area, while Yu carried the groceries. Yu saw the contemplating look on his face and asked, "You're thinking about confronting that guy?" Kurama face slightly thightened and said, "I just didn't like how that punk looked…something was off about him." Yu couldn't help it, but that boy did give off some sort of dark vibe and thought, _What would that guy have done if Kurama and I weren't there…_

"Hey, Naruto!" called a voice from the distance, "Hey, wait up!" Kurama and Yu turned to see Kiba and Akamaru along with Ino walk up to them. _Crap,_ thought Naruto as he really didn't want to deal with any of the Konoha shinobi, _why me?_ "What bring you out today?" asked Ino as she saw the shopping bags, "Going to make dinner?" Naruto adjusted his arms carefully as to not wake Nanako and said, "Yes, it was Nanako's turn to get groceries and we didn't want her to go alone, what with the kidnappings going on."

(Nanako's P.O.V.)

I woke up to see that I was still on Nii-san's back and there were two of those people that are looking for Nii-san. It was the boy with the big dog and the girl with long, shiny hair; Ino and…um…Kiba and Akamaru. Nii-san told me and Dad about them saying that Kiba was in a group that worked with dogs in a manner like cops…um…canine units and the girl can go in people's minds and control them.

"Yeah," said Ino as she looked at me and I quickly closed my eyes, "What's her name?" I could feel Nii-san tense up as he told them my name with a voice like Daddy's when he's working. I always feel safe with Kurama-nii as he loves me and I love him a lot. "She's kinda cute," said Kiba as I turned my head and opened my eyes to see Akamaru looking at me, "even if she isn't your real sister." _Real sister?_ I thought as something in me felt odd in my chest, _Am I Naruto's real sister?_

"What do you mean she isn't my real sister?" I hear Kurama-nii say as he turned to face Kiba, "She IS my sister!" I then hear Ino saying that I'm just a little sister to Kurama-nii and that it would be too painful to continue lying to me as she mentioned Kurama-nii's real parents and Kurama-jiji. I know she didn't say Kurama-jiji's name or what he is, but me and Daddy already know about him and Kurama-jiji is just as nice as Naruto-nii, although he can be cranky. "She already knows about the Fox and my real parents," said Kurama-nii as he turned to face Ino, "She and Ryotaro accept me for who I am and I'm happy that they love me for me. Not because they fear me or I'm some hero, but for who I am and what I had to go through just to try to be accepted and to be seen as Naruto."

"But everyone here sees you as Kurama," said Kiba, "You're just living a lie so you can be happy. Your name is Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, you live in Konahagakure, you have BLOND hair, you're a ninja and a soldier, and you're an only child who contains the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that nearly destroyed our home years ago! You have to come back!" I can feel Kurama-nii getting angry as turned completely around as the wind hit my face. "Look," said Kurama-nii, "me and Yu have to get back home or some of the produce will spoil and we'll have to have take-out for dinner and I'm pretty sure that Dad will be mad as Hell if we stay out too long without him know and Nanako's with us." I know Kurama-nii didn't mean to swear, but these people were bullying him and Daddy would be mad if something happened and I was around to see what happened.

I felt each stomp on the ground as we left those people and I couldn't help but wonder if Kurama really sees me as a sister…

(General P.O.V.)

Yu caught up to Kurama and said, "You alright, Naruto?" Naruto let out a sigh and said, "I can't believe that they practically said that I don't belong here AND that Nanako isn't my real sister. She is my sister and I would willingly fight anyone who would dare hurt her!" Yu saw the pain and anger in Naruto's eyes and didn't say a word, letting the brunette calm down. "They think they own me," said Naruto as the pain became more evident, "all because I'm supposedly a 'danger to everyone,' but they're wrong! I've never been happier than all of my life, even when…Mom had died." Yu was surprised at first but then remembered one crucial fact. "You never really experienced losing someone who _that_ close to you," said Yu in an understanding voice, "you may have lost someone you considered a grandfather, The Third Hokage, but you never actually had found someone to fill in that void as a mother."

Naruto smiled and said, "You're right Cuz; I was an orphan all my life and sure I've have people who filled the roles of brothers, sisters, grandfather, grandmother, and maybe even a father, but I've never found a mother." A lone tear fell from Naruto's face as he continued, "When I was adopted by the Dojimas, I thought that I would have found both a mother and father, but I did. Ryotaro had that authority and the care a father would have; he works himself to the bone for his family, he's strict, and he can be a grouch, but Nanako and I still love him. Chisato…she gave me the love and care that a mother would give to her own child and when she died…I was saddened, but in a way…I was actually able to experience the very pain of losing a mother or father. I was grief stricken when Jiji had died, but the pain wasn't as bad as losing Mom." Yu was able to understand Naruto and his life more as he heard the voices in his say that he was now closer to Naruto by learning of his pain.

The trio walked in the home as both teens removed their shoes and then Nanako's. "Go ahead and put the groceries away," said Kurama as he headed towards the stairs, "I'll take Sis to her room." Kurama made it to Nanako's room and placed the girl gently on her bed. Sitting on the floor, Kurama gently ran a hand through Nanako's hair and said, "I don't care about blood relations or what some piece of paper say, Imoto, you are my sister." After kissing Nanako's forehead, Kurama smiled and said, "I love you…Nanako." Nanako carefully peaked out her eyelids to see Kurama's warm smile before the teen exited the room. "I love you too," whispered Nanako as she drifted off to sleep, "Naruto-nii."

**For a heads up for all of the followers, I changed the stats on Naruto's persona, Kitsune. Instead of being weak to Ice, Kitsune is weak to Electricity so sorry about the sudden change. I am planning something for the Investigation Team, but that is a secret for the moment. I will also have Naruto involved with the Nanako Social Link.**

**Ja Ne**


	17. Chapter 16

**This is Ryu Kotei saying that there will be a hint of YukikoxChie, but I am going to say that when that moment appears, remember that this is their Shadows we're talking about. That means that somewhere inside Yukiko and Chie, those two still have those kinds of feeling towards each other (Chie with manipulation and Yukiko for lust). This MAY be the only time I show something like this, and if I bring it up, I will just make it into and awkward talk and possibly a running gag after this. For some of you who wanted to know about the guy in orange, that is how Mitsuo Kubo looks in the Persona 4 game.** **On with the show...**

"Persona!" normal speak

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"Maragi!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

Chapter 16: 2 of 1 Mind

***Yu's Mindscape***

Yu opened his eyes to find himself standing in front of a hotel that was as tall as a skyscraper. "Where am I?" Yu asked himself as he studied the building before him, "This doesn't look like the Velvet Room." Sensing something beckoning him, Yu entered the hotel to find that everyone in the building looked like him with either very little or drastic alterations. The weird thing was that as he walked and took in the sight of everything, this whole place and all the Yus there had a familiar atmosphere.

Not watching where he was going, Yu bumped into a Yu that was wearing a dark cape, a witch's hat and was holding a lantern. **"Hey,"** said the Yu as he picked himself off the ground, **"We all may share the same host, but you need to watch where you're going."** The Other Yu helped Yu get to his feet before making a realization and said, **"You're not a persona…you're Yu, our host!"** Yu looked at this Other Yu and then made a small connection. "Pyro Jack?" asked Yu as the Other Yu nodded as the other Yus joined in the conversation.

**"No way…"** said one Yu that was completely flat and had dog-like ears, **"That really is Yu."**

**"He's just as strong as ever,"** said another Yu that was in red clothing with two swords on his back.

**"Just as cute too,"** said one of the feminine Yus, creeping the original out as he backed away.

**"MOVE ASSSSSIDE!"** demanded a voice as everyone looked and saw another male Yu with snake-like skin wearing a forest green robe, **"Izanagi wanted to talk to Narukami-sssssan about hissss new condition and the…living arangementssss."** Yu quickly ran towards the new Yu who then led him to an elevator. "I'm guessing you're…" asked Yu as he and the Other Yu walked in the elevator. **"Yamata-no-Orochi,"** said the Yu as he pressed a couple of buttons, **"I as well as a few othersssss you have called forth are on the higher floorsssss. Izanagi'ssss is on the top floor as he wassss the firssst you sssssummoned."** The elevator dinged as in stopped and the doors opened with Yamat-no-Orochi stepping off. **"Thissss is my ssstop,"** said Yamata-no-Orochi, **"Izanagi wishessss to sssee you himssself."**

Yu watched the doors close and felt the elevator moving again and was wondering if any of the others are experiencing the same thing…

***Yosuke's Mindscape***

Yosuke had walked around for what felt like hours, following whatever it was that was calling him. He couldn't help but notice that he was in Inaba…but everything looked like it was supposed to be in a comic book. "Where am I?" Yosuke asked himself as he observed his surroundings, "This is some freaky dream."

**"This isn't a dream Yosuke,"** said a voice from atop one of the buildings. Yosuke looked to find…himself sitting on one of the roofs wearing the same getup as his Persona Jiraiya. "What do you mean this isn't a dream?" Yosuke asked as the Other Yosuke jumped off the building and landing in a flashy pose in front of the original. **"This is what your mind created for you, it reflects who you are,"** said the Other Yosuke as he crossed his arms, **"I am…The Great Jiraiya!"**

Yosuke stared at…himself for a few seconds and said, "You may be dressed like Jiraiya, but there's no way you're my Persona." 'Jiraiya' glowed blue and then transformed into Yosuke's Persona. **"You believe me now?"** challenged Jiraiya before he turned back into looking like Yosuke, **"Now that that's out of the way, we can talk about what's going on with everyone since that incident with one of Kurama's seals. Follow me"** Yosuke followed his Persona and was wondering how the others are doing.

***Chie's Mindscape***

Chie followed her Persona, Tomoe, who took the form of Chie wearing a yellow jumpsuit that hugged her body to show off not just a few curves on her, but the well-developed muscles and a short silver skirt. **"I do have a nice body,"** said Tomoe, **"for me any way." **_How did she know I was-,_ Chie thought before Tomoe said, **"You and I are the same, yet different and I can hear your every thought."**

Tomoe and Chie stopped in front of a dojo and walked in to reveal training dummies and many weapons, mostly naginatas and armored boots. Tomoe sat on the center of the floor and motioned Chie to sit in front of her. **"I have something to tell you,"** said Tomoe as her voice adopted a serious tone, **"Because of what happened when everyone was exploring the Shadow World, something has changed in both your mind and body."**

"What do you mean?" asked Chie in confusion as her Persona let out a sigh. **"I'm not sure what it is…"** said Tomoe with regret, **"but maybe you and the others should ask Kurama-kun and Kitsune-chan about this."** Chie was disappointed that her Persona didn't know what was going on…but then again, Tomoe was _her_ Persona.

Chie noticed a door with police tape on it and decided to investigate. _I wonder how Yukiko is doing with all this,_ Chie thought as she got closer to the door.

***Yukiko's Mindscape***

**"Tis be unwise to open that door, Lady Yukiko,"** said Konohana Sakuya as she got up from her chair. Yukiko's Persona took the form of Yukiko wearing an elegant pink kimono with chopsticks in her hair in the form of a bun. Yukiko opened the door to reveal something that she didn't want to see: Her and Chie in a large bed, kissing each other passionately. **"Oh dear,"** said Konohana Sakuya as Yukiko stood dumbfounded as she continued to watch the sight before her like a deer in headlights.

After pulling Yukiko away from the sight and shutting the door, Konohana Sakuya gently slapped Yukiko causing the girl to snap out of her stupor. "Wh-wh-wh-what was that!?" said Yukiko as her face paled at the memory of her and Chie, her BEST FRIEND, doing _that_! **"Well…"** said Konohana Sakuya as she blushed from embarrassment, **"that room…houses your Shadow."**

***Kanji's Mindscape***

"How the Hell is that my Shadow!?" demanded Kanji after getting over his flustered state of the pure horror he saw, "I thought I wouldn't have to deal with him again." The skeleton wearing Kanji's normal street clothes shook his head and said, **"Just because you overcame your Shadow doesn't mean he 100% gone Kanji-san."** Kanji lowered his head in painful defeat after Take-Mikazuchi had just told him that _he_ would still be around to torment him. "Isn't there a way to be rid of him for good?" asked Kanji with hope in his voice. **"Not unless you want everything to come crashing down and becoming a blank slate as a teenager,"** answered the skeleton as he crossed his arms, **"That would be like taking out the most important stitch or piece of fabric out of the quilt; you take that piece out and the whole thing looks like crap."**

Kanji let out a sigh as he was defeated with the use of a quilting metaphor. "I'm guess I'm one Hell of a quilt," said Kanji as he thought of the others and their situations.

***Rise's Mindscape***

Rise sat at the booth in silence as her Persona, Himiko, decided to wait until Rise was ready to talk again. Himiko took the form of Rise with her hair fully down and she was wearing an elegant white dress. Rise couldn't help but blush at the sight, but then she saw her Shadow; even though it was nothing, Rise was still uncomfortable about how her Shadow was going through with what it had done. **"It is not easy, Sister Rise,"** said Himiko in an understanding voice, **"but you will eventually learn how to deal with your troubles. And do not forget that Naruto-kun and Kitsune-chan will be there whenever we need his help."**

Rise smiled, knowing that Himiko was right as she wasn't alone. She had the others, but most importantly, she had Naruto, her boyfriend, and all she had to do was talk to them when she needed the advice. "Thanks Himiko," said Rise as she hugged her Persona, "for everything."

***Teddie's Mindscape***

Teddie watched as Kintoki-Douji look through many masks and articles of clothing as the two of them vowed to try and find out who they were and would go to their friends when they needed it. "I hope that Sensei and the others can help me," said Teddie with his voice in light melancholy. **"We just have to trust the others,"** said Kintoki-Douji as he tossed a rugged jacket away, **"Izanagi-sensei and the others will help us find out who we are. Now get yourself some much needed rest and maybe Kurama-kun can help out with our new situation."** Teddie nodded as he vanished off into his dreams while his Persona continued to look for something within the large amounts of costumes, not noticing an eerie black cloak with a star shaped mask attached to it.

***Dojima Residence***

Kurama awoke at the sound of someone knocking on his door. "Enter," said Kurama as he rose and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as the door opened to reveal Ryotaro. "There's been a call," said Ryotaro, "a body's been found on the top of a water tower." Kurama's eyes widened, now fully awake as he asked, "Why are you telling me!?" The detective sighed and said, "I need you to watch Nanako while I'm at work."

"But I have to work today after school," said Kurama as he got up from his futon. "I hate to do this," said Ryotaro as he rubbed his face, "but with that killer out there on the loose…" Kurama knew what his father was getting to and said, "I'll ask Yukiko if it's possible for me to bring Nanako to work with me. I've noticed that Nanako spends time with Yu and his friends, so Nanako would maybe like it." Ryotaro said a quick thanks and left the room, heading towards work while Kurama stretched and get ready for the day, question the headache that is coming his way.

***Yasogami High; Gymnasium***

Everyone was in the gym as there was going to be an important announcement. Kurama couldn't help but overhear some of the students talk…

"I wonder what's going on?"

"I don't know, but there's been a lot of these announcements."

"I know; first, Saki's death, then Kurama's revelation. What could it be this time?"

"Has anyone seen King Moron?"

That question caught Kurama's attention as there was a moment that his class had a last minute substitute. The principle walked up to the podium with a solemn look on his face and spoke in the microphone, "It is with much regret to deliver this news, but…Kinshiro Morooka has…passed away this morning." Gasps echoed throughout the gym as even Kurama was caught unaware; yeah there times that everyone had hated the man's guts, but no one would dare murder him. _What could have happened?_ Kurama asked himself, ignoring the students talking.

At lunchtime, Kurama was up on the roof with the Investigation Team where the silence was choking. "I can't believe it," said Yosuke as he slowly stirred his ramen, "King Moron is dead." No one could believe it either as the silence returned. Two deaths that involved people at the school, Inaba was really getting loud with excitement and uneasiness.

"Naruto," said Yu, breaking the silence, "there's something that we wanted to talk to you about." Naruto saw the nervousness on the others and began to ponder. "What…is it like…" asked Yukiko until Kanji said, "What is it like to be a jinchuriki?" Naruto choked on the ramen in shock and after getting the noodles taken care of, he asked, "What!?"

Yu explained to Naruto about how everyone had met their Personas when they had gone to bed which set off some flags in Naruto's and Fox Kurama's minds. _You don't think…_ Naruto thought as the Fox growled in thought. **"It's a possibility but,"** said Fox Kurama, **"what if the incident from yesterday had done something to their bodies. It may be a long shot, but what if that burst of chakra from that seal had infused itself with everyone but you."** _Are saying what I think you're saying?_ Naruto thought before the fox spoke again. **"It is possible that your friends are now pseudo-jinchurikis,"** said Fox Kurama, **"but we don't exactly know. We should go in the TV and check real quick and we can have one of the others watch Nanako-chan as we just need to check a few of them."**_ That's right!_

"I don't mean to change the subject so suddenly," said Kurama as he looked at Yukiko, "but is it alright if I take Nanako to work with me today. Dad wanted me to watch her while he works in the investigation." Yukiko nodded and said, "It shouldn't be too much trouble and I'm sure Nanako-chan would love to spend time with her brother while he's at work." The group quickly finished off the ramen and headed for their classes, knowing that there is going to be a lot of things to do now that everything was thrown into a loop.

**How will the Investigation Team react to being pseudo-jinchurikis and who killed King Moron? For any of you wondering about Yamato-no-Orochi's speech, I thought that giving him that lipse would make sense what with him being a multi-headed snake. By the way, what would the suffix be if you're talking about an animal, such as Kitsune in this case?**

**Ja Ne**


	18. Chapter 17

**This is Ryu Kotei saying sorry about the long updates as I have been busy with things and I have too tired to just think. Do not worry though, I have not abandoned my stories and I will try to get to them when I can.**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"I'm sorry" normal speech

_"I'm sorry"_ thought/mind speak

**"I'm not sorry"** demon/Shadow/Persona seak

Chapter 17: Fighting Leaves

***Yasogami Elementary***

Kurama walked through the gates of the small elementary school as the children were picked up by their parents as the school day ended for them. "Oh hello Kurama," said one of the teachers, "Are you here to pick up Nanako-chan?" Kurama nodded as the teacher called for Nanako, which was short as the little girl tackled her brother in a hug. "Nii-san!" said Nanako as she sent a beaming smile towards Kurama. "Hahaha, Nanako," said Kurama as he sent a smile back to his sister, "Dad wanted me to pick you up today and watch you." It was all it took to get Nanako's joyful smile to vanish, but Kurama quickly said, "Don't worry, you get to go to work with me at the Amagi Inn, so you might get to see Amagi-chan." That brought the smile back as Nanako would get to spend the day with her favorite brother.

***Amagi Inn; Front Desk***

After clocking in, Kurama decided to show Nanako what he does at the inn. "So," said Kurama as he finished giving Nanako a tour of the front desk, "what do you think of your brother's cool job." Nanako laughed as Kurama gave her that silly foxlike smile of his as he explained his job. "Your job is really cool," said Nanako as she watched her brother set one of his textbooks under the counter.

"Hey Naruto," said a familiar voice as Naruto and Nanako turned to see Chouji and Shikamaru, "how have you been doing?" Naruto had nothing against Chouji for his banishment as the Akamichi was in the hospital in critical condition, but Shikamaru was a different story. "I'm doing alright," said Naruto as he looked at the two before him, "I guess." Shikamaru saw the uneasiness in Naruto's voice and said, "Relax, we're only here to talk as friends. We're not going to cause any trouble for you."

"You mean like how Sakura and Kiba did?" asked Naruto with slight authority in his voice, "You're not going to insult my friends or say that I don't belong here?" Shikamaru knew that Sakura and Kiba had caused the wedge between Naruto and the other shinobi for what they said, but Naruto needed to see that Konoha is his home. "Look," said Shikamaru as he kept a level head, "Lady Tsunade told us to find you and take you home, and with what the kidnapping-slash-murders going on, you're much safer in the Elemental Countries where you can use your chakra." Chouji saw Naruto's eyes narrowed, knowing that his best friend had just practically said 'come home so you won't die here, but possibly die back in Konoha.'

"I actually feel much safer here as criminals can't access some mystical power from inside their bodies," said Naruto as he crossed his arms, "and since my father is a cop, my sister and I feel much safer knowing that our father is out there trying to make the world safer for us and everyone else in Inaba." Shikamaru couldn't argue for a moment as Naruto did have a point; anyone could easily be killed in broad daylight with almost little effort in the Elemental Countries, but things like murder were more difficult to get away with what with the advanced forensics.

"But what if Dojima-san is forced into retirement?" asked Ino as she appeared next to Chouji, "Then what?" Both Shikamaru and Chouji face palmed at what their blond teammate had just asked. Naruto took a quick look at Nanako and then said, "I'm sure that Dad would be able to get another job here and I am willing to pull some double shifts. I'm sure Junes could use another security guard or two."

Before another question was asked, a chef emerged from the kitchen with a puzzled, yet sick, look on his face. "Kurama," said the chef, "We need you to go to Junes and pick up some things for a curry that one of the guests wants Yukiko and Chie to make." At that moment, a woman in an elegant red kimono appeared and said, "Yes. One of the guests…loved the curry that Yukiko and Chie had…made and he wants a bowl or two of it." The Ino-Shika-Cho Trio blanched at who this 'guest' was. Everyone remembered watching Shino devour the foul smelling curry with as much vigor Naruto had with ramen during the camping trip. No one could believe that Shino was even human after that.

"Of course, Amagi-san," said Kurama as he pocketed the list the chef gave him, "I'm glad that both you and Amagi-chan agreed to let Nanako hang around while I work." Grabbing their things, Kurama and Nanako headed towards the employee's room to place them in Kurama's locker and quickly left the inn. "Your friend…Shino was it?" asked Yukiko's mother as she faced the Konoha-nin, "has quite the…appetite to be able to eat what Kurama calls 'the only food that not even a desperate, starving man would dare eat' and still want more of it." Chouji looked at her and said, "We don't even think that guy's human after eating _that._"

***On the way to Junes***

Kurama and Nanako had made it halfway when they bumped into Yu and the others. "Kurama-kun," asked Yukiko, "is something wrong?" Kurama sighed and said, "Well, Amagi-chan, you and Chie will be needing to cook for one of our guests as he had taken a liking to the curry you two had man." Both Yosuke and Yu paled as there was someone who actually likes the food they had dubbed 'Mystery Food X' and wanted more of it. "Oh yeah, the chef asked me what Chie and I had used to make it," said Yukiko as Chie then said, "I can't believe he actually liked it."

"Anyway," said Kurama as he took a quick look over his shoulder, "Nanako and I have to get to Junes. The…guest…wants that curry, so I better get the ingredients for it." Yu thought for a moment and then said, "Alright if I join you?" Kurama nodded with a smile as the newly formed trio headed off to Junes as the others left towards their separate ways to find info on the culprit. After walking a few meters, Yu discretely told Kurama how King Moron's killer was still on the loose and judging by the look on his face, Kurama wasn't too happy. The rest of the trip was spent with Kurama and Nanako singing the jingle from Junes.

***Junes; Grocery Department***

Kurama was getting items that Yu listed off, ignoring the dread he felt as he read each item off until someone crashed into them. "Oh I'm dreadfully sorry about that," said a familiar voice that feigned surprise, "Having only one eye really affects the depth perception." The trio looked and saw Kakashi with his own cart full of groceries. Kurama let out a frustrated sigh as he knew that the shopping the curry that nearly killed Yosuke and Yu was a set up and said, "It really does…Kakashi."

"What," said Kakashi as he acted offended, "I can't get groceries here?" Yu felt the tension in the air as Kakashi then said, "Look, I know that you were deeply offended by what Sakura and Kiba had said, but your banishment is over and you can become Hokage just like you always wanted to." Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "If you were really my teacher, you would know that the whole 'being Hokage' thing was just a way to find acceptance and I actually found it here with everyone here." Kakashi cringed from remembering being Naruto's teacher and just focusing on Sasuke after lecturing about not leaving comrades behind. "But what about what I have taught you," said Kakashi as gave Yu a quick glance, "Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash."

(Nanako's P.O.V)

I saw Nii-san squeeze the cart really tight at what the man had said about leaving friends behind. "I still believe that today, _Sensei_," Kurama-nii said, "I just don't know about everyone from the village." The man looked sad and said, "I'm really sorry for what had happened when you brought back Sasuke, but you really don't belong here. What if the seal holding the Nine-Tailed Fox at bay suddenly breaks? If you come back to the Elemental Countries, we can help you learn to control that power or find someone who can teach you properly about that power." I saw Nii-san's knuckles turn white from squeezing the cart and I want to do something to help him.

"Nii-san," I asked as I grabbed Nii-san's wrist, grabbing his attention. Kurama-nii looked at me and gave Big Bro the cart as he calmed down. "Look," said Nii-san as we began to walk away, "I'm really busy and I don't feel like dealing with this." I followed Nii-san as he lead me through Junes, but I was lost in thought: Why do these people want to take Nii-san away? Is Nii-san in trouble? Will he leave me and Daddy?

(General P.O.V.)

Yu watched Kurama and Nanako walk to where the restrooms were, leaving him along with Kakashi. "Tell me," asked Yu as he faced the 'one-eyed' person before him, "if you were his teacher, why did you abandon him in his time of need?" Kakashi let out a sigh and explained how the Civilian Council had forced him to focus only on Sasuke Uchiha as they want to make sure that the Uchiha child would be strong enough to properly defend the village. "Sensei and Obito would be greatly disappointed in what I have done," continued his story, "My sensei was none other than the Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Naruto's father, and my…friend, Obito…was the one who showed me that the mission at hand isn't always important. I was too much of a damn fool to not see the truth before my eyes."

Yu continued to get the ingredients for Kurama while Kakashi followed him and continued to talk about Kurama's life as Naruto. "I know that you all miss him," Yu said as he picked up the coffee milk and placed it in the cart, "but Kurama knows he belongs here where he is at least treated with some respect." Kakashi sighed and said, "I'm sure that Naruto believes that, but he just needs to mature a bit. He needs to learn that even though this seems like paradise, this world will just make him feel empty." Yu remembered how Kurama looked scared at how the others would think of him having a demon sealed inside him. "I believe Kurama is mature enough to know that he belongs where his real friends are," said Yu as he suddenly went down a different aisle, leaving Kakashi to his thoughts. _Maybe I can convince Naoto to get Naruto to come with us,_ thought the silver-haired man.

Near the restrooms, Nanako walked towards Kurama after exiting the restroom to find a woman with long black hair and red eyes talking to him. "I'm not leaving," said Kurama with a look of annoyance on his face, "Even if Baa-chan herself got on her knees and begged me to come back while crying buckets of tears, I'm not going back!" Nanako carefully walked towards Kurama while avoiding the woman and grabbed his attention. "Now if you don't mind Kurenai," said Kurama as he stood up, "I need to get back to work."

"What about the Akatsuki?" said Kurenai, "You were kidnapped before so what's keeping whoever is responsible for the kidnappings from trying again and hand you to the Akastuki? Do you want to put Nanako in danger?" Kurama froze as the thought of Nanako being hurt by either Kisame or Itachi. That was the one thing he couldn't handle as Nanako was the world to him and if anything happened to her…he would honestly be lost and alone. "Nii-san was taken?" asked Nanako with fear in her voice causing Kurama to snap out of his thoughts. "Don't worry Imouto," said Kurama as he led Nanako towards the grocery department, "I'm safe and I promise that nothing bad will happen to us." Kurenai watched Kurama and Nanako leave while scolding herself for possibly crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed. _Real smooth Yuhi-chan,_ Kuranai thought to herself, _You just had to involve his little sister._

Yu had just picked up the last item on the list and stared at everything in the cart with his face pale as a sheet. _I just gathered the very ingredients to make the...thing that nearly killed me during the camping trip,_ Yu thought as that dreaded memory entered his mind before Kurama and Nanako arrived. "Sorry about that Yu," said Kurama as he saw Yu's ghost-like face, "You okay?" Yu nodded his head while Kurama brought the items to the cashier and paid for everything. The rest of the trip was quiet as no one could think of what to say.

***Amagi Inn***

It was during the afternoon where Kurama was pushing a cart with a giant pot of the curry that Chie and Yukiko had made for Shino with Nanako following him. Kurama knocked on the door to find Shino just arriving. "Hello Naruto, Nanako," said Shino as he greeted the Dojimas, "Kurenai-sensei wanted me to let you know that she is sorry is she had upset you in any way back at Junes." Kurama just shrugged and unlocked the door to see the other Konoha men in the room. Kurama put on some oven mitts on as Nanako placed a cloth on the table. "Here's your curry," said Kurama as he feigned a smile, "Made my Miss Yukiko Amagi herself."

Before Naruto and Nanako could leave, Sasuke got up from the table and said, "Naruto…I am really sorry about how you were treated back in the village. I am also sorry for how I treated you when we were teammates; I treated you like the dirt I walked on instead of as a brother…a brother who knows the same pain of loneliness that was forced unto them. The villagers treated me like a prince when in reality the real prince was YOU!" Sasuke was now in front of Naruto and bowed with tears in his eyes. "Please…" said Sasuke as tears fell on the floor, "Please come back so we can be brothers like we should be." All the Konoha shinobi were shocked to see that Sasuke Uchiha was not only crying and bowing, but he was begging for Naruto to come back and forgive him. Even though Sasuke was different than before, he still had his Uchiha pride that he cursed every day.

"Sasuke," said Naruto as the Uchiha lifted his head to reveal the still flowing tears, "I'm sorry, but my real brother was lost when I went to bring you back to the village…the moment you shoved that Chidori into my chest." Sasuke stared at Naruto with fear and regret, desperately trying to find the old Naruto. "Look I'm sorry for trying to kill you twice and causing your banishment," cried Sasuke as he crawled towards Naruto's feet, "I convinced everyone to give me the same life you had; I was given little to no food, spoiled produces, ate only ramen, served as a punching bag, and had to pay ten times the amount on every item in every store. I went through that for the past two years…I don't know how in Kami's name you done it, but I had almost given up and nearly ended my own life after the second month! We all need you…I need you brother! Please…don't leave me again Naruto!" Nanako looked at Naruto who still held a stern face that even unnerved Hiashi. "I am truly sorry for your loss Sasuke," said Naruto as he turned to face the door, "the Naruto that once existed no longer does. I've moved on with my life…'bout time you all do the same." Sasuke broke down into sobs as Naruto and Nanako had left the room, knowing that his brother was now gone.

***Dojima Residence***

Kurama had just finished brushing his teeth when he saw Nanako at the door way. "Is something on your mind Sis?" Kurama asked as he put away his toothbrush and then saw the depressed look on Nanako's face, "Want me to tuck you into bed?" That brought a smile to the little girl's face as she and her Nii-san headed towards her room. After getting under the covers, Nanako asked, "Why do those people want you to go back with them?"

Naruto dreaded that question as that very question was buzzing around his mind as well. "Well…" Naruto started off, "I'm not sure why they want me back. I know that a few of them had done nothing wrong to me, but there were many who had hurt me before I was banished. I know that I may have hurt a few of them through what I have said when they confronted me, but sometimes when you truly love someone, you just have to let them go. I know it hurts, but that is the truth." Nanako saw the tears welling up in her brother's eyes and the pure sadness in them. "But don't worry," said Naruto as he kissed Nanako's forehead, "I will never leave you and you will always have your loved ones in your heart." With a smile, Nanako closed her eyes and said, "Goodnight, Nii-san. I love you." Returning his own smile, Naruto said, "I love you too Nanako, with all my heart. Good night." Naruto headed out the door and saw Yu in the living room.

Yu saw Kurama walk down the stairs and said, "Yukiko told me about what happened at the inn when you brought them the curry." Kurama let out a sigh and said, "I don't know what to do now: I had just told them that the Naruto they once knew is gone and to move on with their lives." Kurama ran a hand through his unbound hair in deep thought. "The very person who caused my banishment was on the floor crying and begging for me to come back…" said Kurama, "but could you forgive the person who nearly killed you twice in one day?"

Yu wasn't sure what to say as he never really experienced a life like Naruto's; sure he was moving from one place to another because of his parents, without much of a chance to really connect with anyone, but Yu never went through what Naruto had gone through. "I really can't say Kurama," said Yu with regret in his voice, "but I know that you are as strong…no…you're stronger than anyone could ever be for just going through something like that. It had to have been more painful than what I could have ever imagined and I may not even be sane afterwards, but you have shown us the pain you have felt and gone through when you revealed to us your status as a jinchuriki. You were afraid of being alone and abandoned by those you saw close to you. You fear being alone more than anything you could admit."

Kurama smiled, knowing that Yu had actually helped him see his fear and understand his strength. "Thanks," said Kurama as he stared into the ceiling, "I needed to be reminded of my reality and shown what it was I feared most…what had given me my drive. I know that the Konoha-nin will still try to convince me to come back with them, but I already know where my home is as I have more than what I could ever have back in the Elemental Countries; a nice home, good friends, a loving girlfriend, and more importantly…a family who see me for me." Yu smiled as more of Kurama's burden was lifted as the brunette no longer looked tired. _I truly hope that both Naruto AND Kurama can find the peace they need._

Both teens enjoyed the peaceful silence until Kurama noticed something on Yu's face and asked, "Where the hell did you get that shiner?"

**That's the end of that chapter. Yes, everyone on the Investigation Team will have their new Personas from the end of their Social Links as the story goes on. Only Naruto's will be different than the others as I have a plan for when his full power of Persona will awaken.**

**Ja Ne**


	19. Chapter 18

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

**"Agilao!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 18: Jinchuriki Journey Pt. 1

*Junes; Food Court*

Kurama was sitting at the food court with a cola in his hand as he waited for the others. Apparently Yu got something on the guy who was responsible who the kidnappings and from the Midnight Channel a couple of days ago, the perp was trapped. The only thing that pissed him off was that the perp was the same guy that Nanako ran into at the grocery department some time ago. "I should have clobbered that bastard into next week," Kurama said as he took a sip of the soda.

The demon fox inside could only agree as Nanako was the only human to get Naruto to feel wanted instead of just needing to be wanted. **_No mother, a father who is never home at times to be there for Nanako-hime,_** thought the demon fox as the little girl entered his mind, **_I can only imagine the loneliness that the little girl would go through if the kit wasn't around. She is just as strong as the kit was when he was her age._** The fox began to remember when the Dojimas had met him…

_Flashback (Fox Kurama's P.O.V.)_

_*Naruto's Mindscape*_

_I remember that the kit was going to show his new caretakers who he holds inside. When the four of them appeared, I was actually surprised that the kit could actually bring people into his mind (though no one needed to know that) and I was able to study their faces well; Naruto was completely flabbergasted to what he had done, Ryotaro had a startled look on his face and seemed to be ready for a fight, Chisato stared at me with both awe and fear, but Nanako…she was different. The little girl was a few years younger than what she was today and she looked at me with curiosity._

_"So you're the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that my new son holds," said Ryotaro as he steeled himself. I nodded and bared my many fangs in my smile in an attempt to unnerve them. __**"That I am mortal,"**__ I said with my most maniacal smile, __**"I am the Great Kyuubi no Yoko, the feared Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the Destroy-What are you doing you little brat!"**__ That was when I saw Nanako enter my cage as the other three try to get to her before I slammed my paw and blocked their path. The little girl giggled and said, "You're silly. You're just like a big kitty." I felt my ears twitched at being called a 'kitty' and I hated being reminded of Matatabi as she bragged about having a more beautiful coat than mine._

_That was when I decided to lower my head to her level and gave her my most fearsome roar while I slammed my tails across the cage. The kit and the two adults flinched in fear and called towards Nanako, but the little girl just laughed…she laughed at MY roar. __**"Why do you show no fear child?"**__ I asked with agitation in my voice, __**"Do you not fear the mighty nine-tailed bijuu?"**__ The little girl hugged my nose and said, "You are really cranky. I'd be cranky too if I had to stay in a dark and yucky sewer." I am not cranky and I can't help it if the kit doesn't know that he could just change how his own mindscape looks. __**"I shall tell you child that I am not cranky and the power I possess could destroy entire villages and wipe islands of this pathetic world,"**__ I boasted as I showed all of them the power of one of my Tailed-Beast Bombs._

_"You just need to get you're crankiness out," said the girl as hugged my nose again. I couldn't understand this child as there should puddles surrounding her, her crying in fear, and her trying to get away from me…but here she is hugging my nose and laughing at my attempts to scar her for life, saying that I was cranky! I then picked her up with my paw and set her on my muzzle, right in front of my blood-red eyes and said, __**"You show no fear towards me and say that I am just being cranky! You are a foolish mortal to believe that a great bijuu such as myself is just cranky and needed an outlet for my aggression."**_

_"Uhuh," said Nanako as she lay down and hugged my muzzle with peaceful serenity on her face. This child showed no fear to me…maybe I was just cranky. No that couldn't be it…I was sealed into four different mortals, manipulated by two power-hungry bastards with their hypnotic Sharingan and forced to fight against my will (I bow to no one!), I lost a part of myself when I was sealed into the kit, and I lost the one that I felt like was a father to me…the Rikudo Sennin. The two adult Dojimas and the kit looked at me as I realized that I may have said a few of those things out loud. Maybe the girl was right about me just being cranky._

_"I'm Nanako Dojima," said the little girl as she looked at my eyes with something that reminded me of…him, "What's your name?" I felt a warm smile appear on my face as I told her my name…Kurama._

_Flashback End (General P.O.V.)_

The demon fox snapped out of his nostalgic daze as he saw that the group was already in the Shadow World looking at a picture of the culprit: Mitsuo Kubo. The fox just shivered that this brat could be dangerous…more dangerous than what the Akatsuki could be. Fox Kurama always had a strange feeling about this world and that was actually saying something for him. He had witnessed the group and the Konoha-nin fighting Shadow Naruto from both inside the cage at the Sewage Plant AND from inside the kit. Even that felt unnatural for the demon fox as he watched the near one-sided fight before Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya had interfered. **_I can only imagine how this world would react to those like the Akatsuki,_** thought the demon fox as the group followed Rise's direction, **_or some mortal who is similar to that Madara bastard._**

"So Kurama," asked Yosuke, "what are we going to do now that we're pseudo-jinchurikis? I mean…how do we fight, or are we any different?" Kurama wasn't sure how to answer that as he had never learned how to fight as a jinchuriki…then again, no one had really taught him much anyway. "As far as I know," said Kurama as he tried to gather his thoughts on the subject, "I would asked the demon fox for power or he gives me power through extreme anger." Yu thought of an idea and began to focus his power. _Izanagi,_ thought Yu as he summoned Izanagi from inside his soul, _lend me your power so that we can fight as one._ The silver-haired teen suddenly felt more powerful as energy began to run through his veins in an intoxicating sensation. The group looked at Yu as light blue energy oozed from his body and formed a cloak. The light blue energy then turned black and began to change Yu's school clothing into Izanagi's attire, from the clawed gloves to Izanagi's helmet. Yu now looked like Izanagi as the transformation was complete.

"Yu-kun?" asked Yukiko as she carefully looked at the figure before her, "Is that you?" Yu/Izanagi looked at his clawed hands and then the Investigation Team. **"Yeah,"** said Yu/Izanagi with wonder in his voice, **"I think I found a way to fight as pseudo-jinchurikis."** Yu/Izanagi held out a clawed hand as he focused his power for his weapon…only for Yosuke to be struck by lightning. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" shouted Yosuke as he dusted the soot off of his uniform. **"Sorry Yosuke,"** said Yu/Izanagi as he scratched the side of his helmet, **"I was going for Izanagi's spear to see how well I might fight with it."** At the moment, a spear formed in Yu/Izanagi's hand as everyone jumped at its sudden appearance. "I guess we just have focus on summoning our Persona's powers as our own," said Chie, "and we have to focus on what skill we want to use in order to use them."

A bright light formed around Yu/Izanagi's body as Izanagi's clothing changed back into Yu's school clothing while Yu fell to his knees trying to catch his breath. "You alright Partner?" asked Yosuke as he helped Yu to his feet. "Yeah," said Yu as he blinked the dizziness away, "I really had to focus a lot of power and keep my concentration." Kurama saw how tired Yu was and said, "Now that we know how to bring forth our new power, let us all agree to use it carefully as from how Yu ended up, it drains a lot of power." No one could really argue as the silver-haired teen looked like he ran five marathons in a row.

After Yu caught his breath, the group arrived at what looked like a flat-looking castle that had the words GAME START and CONTINUE floating in the air. "What is this?" asked Yukiko as she looked at a tree that looked like it was built from different colored blocks. "Reminds me of that 8-bit game I played at that arcade back in Tokyo," said Kurama as he looked at the area around him, "Does Mitsuo think that this is all a game?" This didn't sit well with anybody as Chie tightened her fists as she gave off a chilling aura. "Well," said Yosuke as he studied the castle, "all guys like video games."

"And all girls like Teddie," said Teddie as he pulled off a pose before Kurama 'gently' hit the bear on his head. Yu looked at the entrance as he walked to the front of the group and said, "Game on." Fox Kurama sweat dropped at that and said, **"Our fearless leader has the wisdom and understanding of a sage, but he is just like the kit."**

The group entered the castle and heard a robotic voice talking to the 'players' as they traveled down the hall. "No Shadow waiting for us at the door?" said Yosuke as he took note of the lack of monsters rushing them, "This'll probably be the easiest dungeon we've gone through." As if karma wanted to pick on the group, a huge group of Shadows appeared and rushed them. "You just had to jinx this Yosuke-baka!" shouted Kurama as he summoned Kitsune and attacked a few of the Shadows with a strong gust of wind. The others had fought back against some of the other Shadows, but things were going bad really fast.

"This isn't looking good," said Teddie as his Persona, Kintoki-Douji, froze a few Shadows solid before more appeared. Yosuke decided to call forth his new power and try turning the tides in their favor. "Alright, Susano-O," said Yosuke as a light blue aura oozed from his body, "lend me your power so we can save our friends!" The aura changed Yosuke's school clothes into a light blue jumpsuit and formed red gloves and boots. Yosuke's hair soon became red as it grew into a tall tower, and ski goggles and a bladed spike collar form on Yosuke's face and neck. Everyone stared in awe at Yosuke's new form as the Persona-infused teen held out a large circular saw blade.

**"Alright,"** said Yosuke/Susano-O as he began to spin the hoop around his body, **"Let's dance! Sonic Punch!"** Yosuke/Susano-O rushed towards the Shadows with blinding speed, leaving fist imprints on various monsters as he went by. Some of the Shadows dissolved into oblivion as one Shadow launched a huge gust of wind towards Yosuke/Susano-O, only for the attack to do nothing to the teen. **"Is that all you got?"** said Yosuke/Susano-O as the saw began to spin faster, **"I'll show you REAL wind power, Magarula!"** Multiple tornadoes were launched from the spinning saw as each one decimated a good number of the Shadow as black mist leaked from the tornadoes. A few Shadows were left as Yosuke/Susano-O walked towards them, cracking his knuckles, only for the Shadows to be destroyed by Yukiko as she summoned her Persona to finish off the Shadows.

**"Hey, I had those,"** said Yosuke/Susano-O as he changed back to his regular self, "I was doing great." The teen then fell to his knees from fatigue as Yu and Kurama helped Yosuke to his feet. "Glad that's over for now," said Chie as she wiped the sweat off her forehead, "Thanks Yosuke." Yosuke gave Chie a thumbs up as he was catching his breath. "No…*gasp*…problem Chie-chan," said Yosuke as he took a few weak steps, "Although…*gasp*…Although I think I'm…*gasp*…out of steam for the moment." Yu knew first hand that using their powers of Persona like that was tiring, but very effective as Yosuke's battle with them showed the awesome power.

The group continued through the dungeon and fought through many Shadows before the robotic voice returned with an odd message…

**News Woman appears!**

**Fight**

**Run**

**Mitsuo won the battle. LEVEL UP!**

"Seriously," said Kurama as the voice continued to mention the changes to Mitsuo's 'status,' "He 'leveled up' after a fight?" The group continued to advance through the floor until another message appeared…

**Corpse Discoverer appears!**

**Fight**

**Run**

**Mitsuo won the battle. LEVEL UP!**

Yosuke tightened his fists as the message continued to mention how Mitsuo changed after 'defeating' Saki Konishi. "He'll pay for this," said Yosuke with new found determination in his eyes. After clearing a few more floors, another message appeared…

**Morooka appears!**

**Kill**

**Run**

**Mitsuo killed Morooka. LEVEL UP!**

_This 'game' has gone far enough!_ Naruto thought before Fox Kurama spoke up. **"Did you notice anything off about that last message?"** asked the demon fox, **"Like how he 'fought' the first two and killed the last one?"** That did set off a few alarms, but Naruto decided to focus on getting Mitsuo out of this place before bringing up questions about coincidences; he'll bring those up when the time was right.

The group soon found a room after being teleported here and there and being spun around by the floor itself. Kanji kicked the door to reveal a large Shadow in the form of a black gloved hand with a blue mask on the wrist. "Here we go," said Kurama as Kitsune appeared beside him, "Rakunda!" Kitsune ran behind the Shadow and used his tail to tickle the palm, causing the Shadow to laugh uncontrollably. "Tomoe/Konohana-Sakuya!" said both Chie and Yukiko as they summoned their Personas, "Black Spot/Agilao!" Both Personas launched the attack as the Shadow was pushed back a few feet before it summoned other Shadows. "We need to beat that thing before he summons more Shadow!" said Rise as Kanji and Yosuke defended her from oncoming attacks.

Chie and Yukiko looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement as a blue aura oozed from their bodies. Their clothes changed as Chie's became a yellow jumpsuit with an armored skirt while Yukiko's became a pink cheerleader's outfit. As their helmets formed, Chie's and Yukiko's hair changed; Chie's became long and black while Yukiko's became short and light brown. A dual bladed naginata and a veil of flowers appeared in the girls' hands, completing their transformations.

**"Let's finish this quickly Yukiko-chan,"** said Chie/Tomoe as she charged towards the Shadow with Yukiko/Konohana-Sakuya following her. The miniature Shadows surrounded the larger Shadow while Chie/Tomoe spun the naginata above her body. **"Eat this!"** shouted Chie/Tomoe as she then spun her body around, **"Gale Slash!"** The Persona-infused teen charged the Shadow, slashing them to bits as Yukiko/Konohana-Sakuya launched a large wave of fire to cook the survivors. The two girls finished their attacked and slowly approached the Shadow with an intimidating slow pace. **"Let's finish him off Chie-chan,"** said Yukiko/Konohana-Sakuya as a large fireball formed in her hands. **"Yes Yukiko-chan,"** said Chie/Tomoe as she spun the naginata around. Everyone watched as a tower of inferno erupted as the Shadow dissolved into oblivion while a large black sphere rolled towards the group as Chie and Yukiko returned to their natural looks and walked towards the group slowly.

"Remind me to never make either of those girls mad," said Yosuke as his face paled at the sight of the giant scorch mark on the ground where the Shadow once was. "Agreed," said Kanji as Yu picked up the sphere and studied it. "What's that, Cuz?" asked Kurama as he felt a dark and empty aura from the sphere. Yu wasn't sure what it was as he placed it in his pocket as this sphere had a connection to the place in some way. "Let's find out where Mitsuo is and stop for the day," said Yu as he faced the team, "The next few days are supposed to be clear, so we have time to rest." Kurama wanted to argue, but seeing how four members of the team had summoned their new power had spent a lot just from one fight, it was the better strategy.

*Dojima Residence*

Nanako was watching one of her favorite game shows when Yu and Kurama walked in. "Welcome home Nii-san and Big Bro," said Nanako, getting a confused look from Kurama. "Big Bro?" asked Kurama as he looked at Yu before laughing, "Guess I have some competition, huh?" Before the three of them could move, the doorbell rang as Kurama moved to answer the door. There at the door was Sakura and Ino with a few bags from Junes.

"Hey Naruto-kun," said Sakura as she gave Naruto her best smile, "How are you doing since King Moron died?" The former blond wanted to shut the door right there, but decided against it and said, "I'm alright…I guess. It's just that not every day your teacher gets killed. If it was, then Dad would have sent me and Nanako to live with our grandparents in Yakushima." Yu and Nanako saw how uncomfortable Naruto was becoming as the two girls from Naruto's past were beginning to bug him. "We heard about what you said to Sasuke," said Ino as Naruto was reminded of the Uchiha, knowing that the old Naruto would have wished he had brought a camera, "That was a bit cruel with what you said. Sasuke made himself go through so much just so he could understand you more."

"If he wanted to understand more he would have _tried_ to at least talk to me before acting all high and mighty and calling me a dobe," said Naruto with visible agitation in his voice, "and if I remember correctly, you, Sakura, could have done the same instead of beating me into the ground for just trying to start a conversation." Sakura flinched at remembering how she had done that, even after Naruto had done so much; She still wasn't proud of herself when she nearly beaten Naruto to death after he had brought Sasuke back in a broken mess. "Look," said Sakura as she looked at Naruto in the eyes, "I'm really sorry for hurting you like that AND for hitting you when you spoke your mind or just looked at me, not even respecting your opinion or thinking that you were just trying to think of something to say. I was just blinded by what the other villagers had said about you."

Naruto snorted and said, "So you listened to what the villagers had said about me and acted by what they said instead of talking to me to even see if any of what they had said was true?" Naruto was really getting agitated as Ino said, "You need to stop acting immature and come back to Konoha. This place has been poisoning your mind over the three years you were here, and you need to stop deluding yourself into believing that you're someone that you're not!" Yu decided to intervene before something bad happens and said, "What gives you two or any of the Konoha-nin the right to say how MY cousin lives his life! Have any of had ever thought of what Naruto wanted, or did you just assume that he was happy with what little he had!"

"Butt out of this," said Ino as she sent a threatening glare at Yu, "You have been poisoning Naruto-kun as much as this place saying that you're his cousin. How did you react to learning that Naruto houses a powerful demon inside of him?" Yu stood his ground as he remembered how frightened Naruto was when he told the others about him being a jinchuriki. "I didn't care that Naruto held the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him," said Yu as he stood firm with a commanding aura around him, "My friends and I cared for Naruto as if he was one of us and he was scared to death because he thought we were going to reject him for something that was out his control!" Naruto was glad to see Yu sticking up for him and felt more at ease knowing that his real friends were with him.

"Look," said Ino as she tightened her grip on the shopping bags and looked at Naruto, "we'll leave you be for now as we don't want to risk getting in trouble with your 'father.' But you need to grow up and come back with us as this place will only do you more harm than good. Talk to you later, Namikaze-san." Just like that, both Sakura and Ino left as Yu closed the door as the crippling silence hung in the air. Naruto went towards Nanako and gave her a gentle hug and kiss as the girl returned the hug. "Good night you two," said Naruto as he climbed the stairs towards his room, leaving Yu and Nanako to the choking silence in the room. "Big Bro," asked Nanako as she looked at Yu with expectation, "What does it mean to be a real family?"

In his room, Kurama had finished writing in his journal as he placed the small tome in its hiding spot with a heavy mind. _I think I'll talk to Rise-chan,_ Kurama thought as he got his cell phone out, _maybe she can give me some comfort._ Kurama dialed Rise's number and the line rang a few times before Rise's voice responded. "Hello?" asked Rise's voice from the other side of the line. "Hey Rise-chan," said Kurama with a saddened voice, "I thought I might talk to ya for a while."

"Of course Kurama-kun," said Rise with a serious tone in her voice, "What's bothering you?" Kurama told Rise about Sakura and Ino's visit and what had happened. "I'm not sure on what to do now," said Kurama as he ran a hand through his hair, "I know that Yu was able to help me deal with those two and I'm really glad that he intervened, but…I've been questioning myself about something lately."

"What do you mean, Kurama-kun?" asked Rise with slight fear in her voice. "I been question myself where I really belong…Do I belong here or is my home back in the Elemental Countries?" said Kurama as his mind was buzzing from the question. "Kurama-kun," said Rise with a gentle voice, "I want to tell you that you belong here with us, but that would only accomplish one of two things: show our support for you or make us forget that you are your own person, not something that can be owned by a person. I know that you care for everyone here in Inaba and you have a few people back in Konoha that you care for as well, but I want you to know that I love you and I will be with you wherever you are. I will even give up my idol career and live with you just to show you my love for you. I already took that gamble when I read the file about you being a jinchuriki and I'm willing to take that gamble again." Kurama smile as he knew Rise was right and that she will always be with him and said, "Thank you, Rise-chan."

"Good night, Foxy-kun and I love you."

"Good night, Tofu Hime and I love you too."

Kurama hung up the phone and placed it on his desk before he slid into his bed, knowing that his friends are with him through thick and thin. "Thank you everyone," said Kurama as sleep took over, getting him ready for the challenges to come.

**Alright, now that the Investigation Team have unlock a new power, they are now stronger than ever. I know that Yu's power of the Wild Card will mean a lot of hybrid forms, I will cross those roads when they appear. Don't forget to review!**

**Ja Ne**


	20. Chapter 19

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

**"I am a Shadow."** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 19: Jinchuriki Journey Pt. 2

***Amagi Inn***

Kakashi and Hiashi were sitting in the room discussing about Naruto and how things have been turning since discovering Kurama's real identity. "I'm still wondering way Naruto didn't want to come back," said Kakashi as he pondered Naruto's attitude, "He was always emotional before his banishment as that mask of his would come off on rare occasions." Hiashi took a sip of his tea in thought of how much Naruto has changed; before his banishment, Naruto was considered Konoha's #1 Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja and the most unpredictable person in the village. Now Naruto was someone who was more calculative and serious, but more sensitive and easy to anger…then again, almost every encounter with the boy had ended badly as Naruto would become upset as the other Konoha-nin would say something sensitive to him. "Naruto has changed so much in the past three years," said Hiashi as he took another sip of his tea, "but surprisingly, I think it was for the better."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow and asked what Hiashi had meant. "Hinata told me that she had confessed her feelings to Naruto," said Hiashi as he set the cup down, "only for the boy to gently shoot her down." Shocked, Kakashi asked, "Why did Naruto shoot Hinata down? Wasn't she one of the few girls who cared about Naruto?" Hiashi nodded and said, "Yes, but surprisingly Hinata wasn't as upset as the others thought she would be. In fact, Hinata told me why Naruto shot her down."

"Was it because he was already in a relationship with the girl from the tofu shop, Rise?" said Kakashi, "We could use the CRA on him so that he can have multiple wives that love him." Hiashi let out a sigh and said, "Wives that would love Naruto…or wives that would love Namikaze-san?" That actually got Kakashi thinking as the number of girls that liked Naruto as Naruto were very few and those who loved Naruto as the last Namikaze and Uzumaki were too many. "Hinata told me that Naruto's reason for shooting her down was that Naruto didn't like her like that," said Hiashi as he filled the cup up with more tea, "but likes her as a sister, just like Nanako. His clueless attitude was just an act as Naruto either had no idea on how to tell her without upsetting her or he was just afraid of how others would react to my daughter and the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox being together like that." Kakashi knew that almost the entire village was that close-minded and they would never see past the Kyubi Attack in order to see that not only was Naruto a hero, but the son of the Fourth Hokage.

"Although I wish Naruto didn't use such a ploy," said Hiashi as he took a sip of tea, "but I'm actually glad as Hinata was able to get an understand that love can sometimes hurt as what you think is love could actually be just a crush that would wind up hurting you." Kakashi nodded as he brought out his Icha Icha Paradise and began reading it. _I hope that Naruto will be alright,_ thought Kakashi as Hiashi turned the television on to the news about the latest bit of the kidnapping/murder case, _You deserve so much for what you have done._

***Shadow World; Marukyu Striptease***

Kurama sneezed as he and his team consisting of Yosuke, Kanji, and Chie traveled through the area. "Someone must have been talking about you Kurama-senpai," said Kanji as Kurama sniffled. "For once I hope it's one of my fan girls," said Kurama as he shook his head as a shiver ran down his spine, "I'm tired of the Konoha-nin bothering me to come back to them. Why can't they see I'm happy here?"

Before Kurama could continue, a large group of Shadows decided to rush the group as Kurama quickly summoned Kitsune and blasted the Shadow with a large fireball. "Go Susano-O," said Yosuke as his Persona appeared, "Magarula!" Kanji and Chie soon followed with their own attacks as the group took down the Shadows. "Alright!" said Kanji as he cracked his knuckles, "We took them down, no problem. Now let go face that bastard Mitsuo!" Yosuke held his hand out and counted his fingers before realizing something. "Guys," said Yosuke as he got into a battle stance, "We still have one Shadow left!" Kanji and Chie looked up just in time to see the remaining Shadow on the ceiling getting ready to attack them. "Kitsune!" said Kurama, "Sexy Dance!" Kitsune appeared between Chie and Kanji and the attacking Shadow as two other Kitsunes appeared. All three Kitsunes changed into three girls in bikinis and went into different poses which stopped the Shadow and caused it to have a nosebleed that launched it a few feet away. In her rage, Chie kicked the fallen Shadow into the sky as the girls changed back into Kitsune while the other two disappeared.

"Now we won," said Kurama before Chie turned around to face Kurama with anger burning from her eyes. Kurama looked around to see Yosuke and a pale-faced Kanji on the ground with nosebleeds and face palmed himself. "I know that foxes are known to be tricksters," said Kurama as poked Kanji's and Yosuke's bodies with his shoe, "but you guys should be immune since we're teammates." The confused brunette never saw Chie walking up from behind, getting ready to give Kurama what she thought of his Persona's power.

Yu's group had just gotten out of the place before Kurama flew out of the entrance and landed on one of the tables which broke from the impact. The group looked behind them and saw Chie dragging Yosuke and Kanji with and angry look on her face. "I'm guessing Kurama-kun used _that_ skill," said Yukiko as both Yosuke and Kanji wiped the blood off their noses, proving Yukiko right. Yu began to sweat as he remembered that he had a Persona that could charm enemies as an image of the girls beating the crap out of him for it entered his mind. _Note to self,_ Yu thought to himself as Rise helped Kurama up, _be careful on what Personas I use._

***Dojima Residence***

Nanako was watching her favorite anime, Magical Detective Loveline, when the doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" said Nanako as she looked through the peep hole in the door to see the delivery man. Nanako opened the door as the delivery man asked, "Is either Kurama Dojima or Yu Narukami present? I have some packages for them." Nanako shook her head negatively and said, "There not here at the moment, but I can give them the packages when they return." The delivery man set the three boxes inside and said his good bye as Nanako closed the door and took the boxes and placed them on the table.

Before Nanako could get back to her show, the doorbell rang again so Nanako looked through the peep hole to see Sasuke and a young boy about the same age as Sasuke wearing green. "Naruto-san!" said the boy in green as he rang the doorbell again, "Naruto-san, it is us, your friends, Sasuke and Lee. Would you please answer the door?" Nanako couldn't help but giggle as Sasuke scolded Lee for just announcing Naruto's name. Sasuke rang the doorbell and said, "Nanako is your brother home? We'd like to talk to him." Nanako slowly opened the door and said, "Hello."

Lee was about to speak before Sasuke quickly said, "Hello Nanako, is Naruto here? We just want to talk to him." Nanako shook her head negatively as Sasuke asked, "Well is Dojima-san here then? Again, we just want to talk." Nanako shook her head again and said, "Dad's at work and Nii-san and Big Bro aren't here." Sasuke cringed at thinking that this little girl was by herself as it reminded him of how he and Naruto both lived: alone. "Do you know when either Naruto-san or Narukami-san will be back?" asked Lee ignoring a simple fact that a little girl was home by herself. "They won't be back until real late," said Nanako, "and they're really tired when they come home."

"Well," said Sasuke as he turned to head out, "I guess we'll jus-"

"How would you like some company Nanako-chan?" said Lee, much to Sasuke surprise, "a young girl such as yourself during what has been happening is much too dangerous." Before Lee could speak any further, Sasuke pulled Lee to the side and quietly said, "What the Hell are you thinking!? Do you want Naruto AND Dojima-san pissed off at us!?" Lee was taken aback and said, "But Sasuke, Nanako-chan is alone at home, which it isn't healthy or safe for a child of her age and with the kidnappings going on, her life is even in more danger than before." Sasuke shook his head and said, "Me and Naruto both lived by ourselves when we were Nanako's age and we…we were alright and since Naruto has been by himself longer, he knew how things should go when you're on your own." Lee wanted to try and convince Sasuke to think otherwise, but Sasuke's stern look made him relent.

Returning to Nanako, Sasuke said, "Well sorry for bothering you, but we better get going. See you later Nanako." After the two teens left, Nanako closed and locked the door and noticed that her show was going off. The girl sighed in defeat as she didn't find out who took the princess's Necklace of Sunshine, but she knew that she might see that show again so she wasn't too sad about it as she turned the channel to her favorite game show. "I wonder what Nii-san and Big bro got?" Nanako asked herself as she stared at the packages on the table with great curiosity.

***Shadow World; Void Quest***

The Investigation Team had just arrived at a large door that leads to the room where Mitsuo was. Kurama looked at everyone to see that they were ready for a fight and pushed the door…only for it to barely move. "Locked?" asked Yosuke others joined in to open the door before joining in himself. Yu reached in his pocket and pulled out the black orb to see it glowing. Everyone saw the glow and backed away as Yu placed the orb against the door, causing the sound of something being unlocked echoed throughout the castle. "That orb must have been a key," said Teddie as everyone sweat dropped at the obvious, "Let's go!"

Everyone entered the room to see in the form of a large coliseum along with two Mitsuos. "Say something dammit!" ordered Mitsuo as the other Mitsuo just let out a heavy sigh. "Nobody even though about me after the first two people. That's why I went for the third one." Deciding to confront him, Kurama ran to the front of the group. "Hey Kubo!" yelled Kurama, getting Mitsuo's attention, "We have a score to settle." At first, Mistuo was surprised that there were others in here, but he then began to laugh. "Oh we have a score to settle alright Kurama," said Mitsuo as a maniacal grin appeared on his face before he turned to face the other Mitsuo, "and what are you all quiet for!?"

That was when the other Mitsuo spoke up with a voice that gave Kurama a chill down his spine. **"Because…"** said the other Mitsuo with a husky hollowed voice, **"I feel nothing."** Kurama eased up just a bit as Mitsuo continued to talk to the other Mitsuo. "What are you talking about!?" commanded Mitsuo, "Make sense dammit!" The back and forth arguing got the Investigation Team confused on which Mitsuo was the real one and which one was the Shadow. A lone tear crept from Shadow Mitsuo's face as he said, **"I…have nothing…I am nothing…and you…are me."** Kurama saw the angered look in Mitsuo's face and knew that spelled trouble. "Mitsuo," said Kurama as he edged carefully closer, "we are here to get you out of here and take you to the police. Please calm down before anything could get worse."

Mitsuo turned to face Kurama and said "Shut up you freak! A-a-and what are you doing here anyway!?" Kanji then stepped up and said, "We're after you, you bastard! Are you really the killer?" Mitsuo the laughed and said, "Of course I'm the killer. I'm the one who did it all!" Mitsuo then turned to face his Shadow and continued, "I don't give a damn about what this imposter's saying! You hear me!? You have nothing to do with me! You are NOTHING to me!" The Shadow then let out another depressing sigh as Mitsuo turn to face the Investigation Team and said "Now you all get OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

That was when an ominous aura filled the air as Shadow Mitsuo said, **"So you don't accept me?"** Mitsuo grabbed his head in pain as Shadow Mitsuo disappeared in a cloud of dark mist as a large, unborn fetus with light green digital text orbiting its head. "Guess we made it to the big boss battle," said Kurama as strange, yet epic sounding music filled the air, "and we get a musical accompaniment."

Shadow Mitsuo looked at the Investigation Team and said, **"I am a Shadow…Come…I'll end your emptiness."** Instead of the previous dark voice, the Shadow spoke in a near robotic voice. **"Character Setup!"** said Shadow Mitsuo as different colored plates surrounded it and formed a giant soldier made of blocks, **"Mitsuo the Hero arrives!"** The giant raised its block-like sword and swung at the group as the team scattered to avoid being hit. "Was it this bad with my Shadow," thought Kurama as Yosuke was pushed back after blocking a hit from the sword. "Yours was actually worse," said Yosuke as Susano-O appeared and charged towards the giant, "Yours was suicidal and then pissed off; this guy's just depressing." Susano-O was able to hit the Shadow real hard as a few plates flew off to reveal Shadow Mitsuo before the protective shell reformed the damaged area. "You need to destroy the outer shell first!" said Rise as the other charged in.

The battle was difficult as the Investigation Team dodged sword strikes and bombs while trying to break the shell. "Things are going bad!" said Kurama after getting hit by one of the bombs, "How the Hell am I already so tired!?" Chie and Teddy were looking winded as well before Teddie summoned his Persona who rejuvenated the three. "Thanks Teddie," said Kurama as Kitsune shook itself and went back to attacking. Kanji saw that the others need something to even the playing field and big time…wait a minute…BIG!

Yu, Yukiko, and Yosuke were cornered as Shadow Mitsuo was about to slam the square blade down on them until it was tackled by Take-Mikazuchi. "Thanks Kanji, we owe you one," said Yosuke as he looked around but couldn't find the teen, "Kanji? Where are you?" Yukiko watched Take-Mikazuchi push Shadow Mitsuo to the ground and went into a familiar arm pose. Yukiko ran towards Take-Mikazuchi and asked, "Kanji-kun? Is that really you?" Kanji/Take-Mikazuchi turned, gave Yukiko a thumbs up and said, **"Of course Amagi-senpai. Who else could it be?"** Yosuke's eyes nearly popped out of his head at how Kanji looked compared to Shadow Mitsuo. "Holy shit dude, you're huge!" said Yosuke as Yu studied Kanji's hybrid form. Kanji was basically a larger form of Take-Mikazuchi with the exception of a picture of a heart inside the rib cage.

Shadow Mitsuo got up as Kanji/Take-Mikazuchi got into a battle stance and said, **"Alright punk, let's do this! Gundam Style!"** The two giants clashed swords as Kanji/Take-Mikazuchi used his lightning bolt shaped weapon to block Shadow Mitsuo's weapon and followed it with a punch to the Shadow's face, knocking it back a few meters (feet in Kanji/Take-Mikazuchi's view). **"Let's see that overgrown lizard do this," **said Kanji/Take-Mikazuchi as a bolt of lightning flew out of the sword, **"Zionga!"** The outer shell was completely destroyed, revealing Shadow Mitsuo's real form exposed for a colossal beat down from everyone.

Shadow Mitsuo recovered and looked at Yu before clapping its hands. Everyone looked to see Yu get incased in a sphere of energy as his screams were silenced as the sphere closed up. "Yu!" said Kurama and Yukiko as the two of them tried to break the sphere with little success. Kanji/Take-Mikazuchi saw Shadow Mitsuo beginning to reform the shell, square by square. **"Not on my watch!"** said the Persona infused teen as he sent a flurry of lightning bolts towards his enemy, only for the attack to fade into nothing, **"…the Hell? What's going on here!?"** Kurama looked at Shadow Mitsuo and then the sphere that held Yu and said, "Alright here's the plan: Yosuke and Yukiko, try and bust Yu out of the sphere; the rest of us will deal with the Shadow!"

Everyone nodded and went to their respective targets as Kanji/Take-Mikazuchi rushed towards the Shadow with Kurama, Teddie and Chie on his heels while Yosuke shouted at the sphere. **"This is a Kanji-Mikazuchi original!"** said Kanji-Mikazuchi (as he named himself) while thrusting his gigantic fist towards Shadow Mitsuo, **"Man Series: Super Bro Fist!"** The fist connected, sending the Shadow flying into the stands, creating a crater. _I think Kanji just put Tsunade to shame,_ Kurama thought as he stared at the crater.

***Konoha; Hokage's Office***

Tsunade was sorting a pile of paperwork when she then sneezed and had a feeling that someone had just outdone her in physical power. "I hope Naruto's doing alright," said Tsunade as she looked out the window, "and I hope the others aren't giving him too much trouble if they found him."

***Shadow World; Void Quest***

Chie decided to help Kanji-Mikazuchi by using her own power and charged towards the crater, only to be blown back by a tower of fire. **"Ah! Hot! Hot! Hot!"** said Chie/Tomoe as she tried to put out the fire in her hair. Kurama decided to step in and called form Kitsune's power, only for his body to pulse in pain. "What the Hell?" asked Kurama as he held his shoulders, "Why can't I call forth my power?" Teddie's body swelled up into a sphere as a blue cape began to flutter from behind and a valve popping out of his belly. _What's going on?_ Kurama thought to himself as he watched the other Persona infused members fight Shadow Mitsuo, _Why can't I summon my power like the other? Is it because of the seal?_

Kurama snapped out of his thoughts and summoned Kitsune who launched a large gust of wind from its tail, knocking away a few of the blocks as Shadow Mitsuo continued to reform the outer shell. **"ENOUGH!"** shouted Shadow Mitsuo as a large shock wave launched the Persona infused fighters and Kurama back and reforming the shell instantaneously, **"GIGADYNE!"** The attack connected as it knocked those fighting the Shadow down. Shadow Mitsuo was about to launch another attack, but then a long spear was jammed into its shoulder. The fallen group looked to see Izanagi rushing towards the Shadow and throwing multiple lightning bolts at it. "Yu!" said Kurama as he and the others quickly got up as Susano-O and Konohana-Sakuya followed suit, "Yosuke! Yukiko!"

**"Alright you guys,"** said Yu/Izanagi as he motioned everyone to follow him, **"NOW!"** Everyone was able to destroy the outer shell with much more ease as Shadow Mitsuo's real form jumped out of the dust and began reforming the shell. "Guys," said Rise as she appeared in a long white dress and satellites where her pigtails once were, "you need to stop him from reforming that shell!"

**"No need to say that twice,"** said Yosuke/Susano-O as he, Chie/Tomoe, Kanji-Mikazuchi, and Teddie/Kintoki-Douji held the blocks back. **"Change: Makami!"** said Yu/Izanagi when he jumped back as his body was surrounded by a bright light, changing his form into a flat werewolf with silver fur as Shadow Mitsuo created a large tornado. Yu/Makami moved around the tornado and launched a fireball from his mouth, only for it to be blocked by the Shadow. **"Change: King Frost!"** said Yu/Makami as his form changed into a large version of Yu with snow-white skin and long blond hair in curls wearing golden clothes and launched a blizzard towards the Shadow, breaking its defenses. **"Change: High Pixie!"** said Yu/King Frost as his body had now been shrunk to a miniature, feminine version of Yu wearing and armored corset and dark blue tights with insect wings sprouting out of his back. Yu/High Pixie sent a fury of lightning bolts, only for those to be destroyed by a giant fireball launched by Shadow Mitsuo. **"Change: Pyro Jack!"** said Yu/High Pixie as his form changed into Yu's original form with the exception of a black cape and a jack-o-lantern wearing a witch's hat sitting on Yu's shoulder, allowing him to absorb the fireball. **"You mess with me, you are seriously gonna get burned. Change: Rakshasa!"** said Yu/Pyro Jack as his form changed into Yu wearing red clothing and a horned mask as he wielded dual swords. Yu/Rakshasa sliced block after block as he rushed towards the Shadow before leaping into the air. **"Change: Izanagi!"** said Yu/Rakshasa as he changed back into his Izanagi form lunged towards Shadow Mitsuo, **"Time to finish this! Shearing Bolt!"** Yu/Izanagi pierced right through the Shadow, causing it to disintegrate it back into looking like Mitsuo.

Everyone changed back into their normal forms as the real Mitsuo was beginning to wake up. "Ngh…what the…" said Mitsuo as he slowly woke up and saw everyone, including his Shadow, looking at him. Mitsuo saw Shadow Mitsuo and began to laugh. "I'm not you…I am the killer…I am…the killer," said Mitsuo before he lost consciousness again. Everyone turned to face the Shadow as it was now crying as its body began to disintegrate before their eyes. "I…*sniff*…I only wanted people…*sniff*…to…to see me," said the Shadow in a soft voice as more tears fell from his face, "My…*sniff*…my mother had always told me that…*sniff*…that I was special." Everyone watched in pity as the Shadow's arms and abdomen were now disintegrating. "I was always…*sniff*…I was always the freaky nobody that people don't even give a second glance to!" shouted Shadow Mitsuo as his head was now disintegrating, "I'm a freak! I'm a freak!" The mantra continued, even after the Shadow disappeared out of existence, sending chills down everyone's spine.

"Well…" said Yu as he pointed to Mitsuo, "better take him back so that the cops can deal with him." Yu turned around to begin walking before he fell to the ground as his vision went dark. The last thing the teen was able to hear was the sound of everyone shouting his name as his mind fell into the dark void.

**Now that Mitsuo had been taken care of, how will things go for the Investigation Team? What happened to Yu? And why did Kurama's power not work like the others?**

**Ja ne**


	21. Chapter 20

**This chapter will explain why Yu fainted in the previous chapter as a special guest will arrive just briefly in this chapter. Some of you have asked for it so I decided to add in the beach event to the story. I know that it is off from the original story in Persona 4 Golden, but I wanted to add a moment where the Investigation Team will see more of Naruto/Kurama's scars.**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

**"Last Will..."** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

_"What the..."_ thought/ mind speak

Chapter 20: Victory Meals and Scars on the Sand

***Velvet Room***

_Ngh…What happened?_ Yu thought to himself as he came to, _Last thing I remembered was…!_ Yu jerked up, fully awake, to see that he wasn't in the Shadow World and that he was by himself…or so he thought. "Welcome, honored guest," said an odd looking man with a long nose, "Please relax, you are in no harm…as of for the moment." Yu saw that he was in the Velvet Room as Igor and Margaret were present as the limo continued its journey through the fog. "Igor…Margaret," asked Yu as his mind was buzzing with furious energy, "what happened?"

"Your mind and body had been burned out because of the power you had obtained through your adoptive cousin, The Hanged Man," said Margaret as both she and Igor looked at Yu with stoic faces, "You had simply overexerted yourself and simply passed out." Yu raised an eyebrow at that thought; he passed out because he was mentally and physically fatigued? "I know that you are still new at being a jinchuriki," said Igor with his voice sounding ever so curiously, "but know that you must be careful with this power. This power can easily control you as you can control it."

"What do you mean, Igor?" asked Yu as he could never understand Igor at most times, "I thought I had complete control, even with yours and Margaret's assistance?" Margaret joined in and said, "Yes, even though this is true, your power had somehow gained a new form but because of this, you must know exercise caution to how you use it." Yu was able to piece together what the two of them were talking about and said, "This is because of me being able to change Personas while in the jinchuriki form." Igor smiled and said, "You catch on really well as you and your friends had utilized this power to a new level thanks to The Hanged Man. But I must say this Yu Narukami…" Yu was actually surprised that Igor had said his full name as a chill ran down his spine. "With your power of the Wild Card combined with the power of a jinchuriki, you risk your mind and soul burning out of existence."

"So I can't use my powers as a pseudo-jinchuriki because I'll burn out my soul?" asked Yu with more defiance than fear in his voice. "I never said that you cannot use your power, dear guest," said Igor as a chuckle escaped his throat, "just to exercise caution when changing Personas while using this new power and let your mind recover at a steady pace." Yu relaxed, knowing that he just needs to be careful as a new question entered his mind.

"How do you know about jinchurikis?" asked Yu as a mysterious man with odd looking eyes soon appeared next to Igor. "That is because Igor here had helped me in defeating a powerful foe," said the man as he smiled, "It was thanks to him that I was able to create and use The New World Seal on the Juubi and separate its power into nine different forms." Yu was about to question who the man was before Igor said, "You best be getting back on track as your ordeal has not yet ended and I would actually like to talk to my old friend here. Until we meet again…" The man watched Yu vanish back into reality and said, "That boy reminds me of myself when I was at that age. Ah memories…"

***Dojima Residence; Yu's Room***

Yu slowly awoke to find himself in his room as Kurama entered to see Yu awake. "About time you woke up," said Kurama as Yu sat up and held his spinning head, "Easy there, you just woke up from a year-long coma."

"A YEAR!" said Yu with shock on his face before Kurama fell to the floor laughing. "At first I didn't want to do it…hahahaha," laughed Kurama as he held his sides, "but I couldn't help it hahahaha!" Yu got out of the futon and carefully stretched his body and asked, "How long was I really out?" Kurama slowly stopped laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You were actually out for about two days," said Kurama, "We have a new homeroom teacher, Ms. Kashiwagi, and she will send chills down your spine the moment she starts the lectures. Also, Mitsuo Kubo is behind bars, so we have nothing to worry about now." Yu let out a smile as the whole deal with Mitsuo was over.

"Before I forget," said Kurama as he let out an apologetic sigh, "there's going to be a cook-off between the girls and the guys with Nanako being the judge. We all have to make an omelet and the cook-off wasn't going to start until you woke up." Yu actually knew that the cook-off was really a celebration in catching Mitsuo, but he couldn't help but feel the competitive energy of how Chie and Yosuke would argue on who would win. "I'll let you get your rest and tell the others know you're awake," said Kurama as he started out the door, "Anything you need because I'm going to Junes to get ingredients for the omelet I'm making." Yu listed off the ingredients that he would need for his omelet and decided to get a few more hours of rest after his cousin had left. _Glad to see that things are going to be alright,_ Yu thought as sleep soon took over, ignoring that odd feeling that something was off.

It was a few hours later when Yu woke up from his nap and got out of the futon. After getting dressed, Yu headed downstairs to see the Investigation Team talking among each other before Nanako saw him. "Big Bro," said Nanako as she hugs Yu, "you're okay!" Yu sent a smile towards Nanako and asked, "Hey Nanako, you ready for some omelets." Nanako's cheer started the whole cook-off as different teams began making their own omelet with Teddie and Nanako sitting in the living room, waiting for the omelets to be brought to them.

"Well," said Teddie with a heavy mind, "Sensei and the others kept their word…there's no reason for me to stay here." Nanako saw how Teddie was acting and asked, "Are you leaving?" Teddie sadly smiled and said, "Sensei and the others had done their parts and I can relax, knowing that things will have calmed down." That was when Yosuke spoke up and said, "No way, you are an employee of Junes and you can't quit just because the deal we had is done." Yu stepped in and said, "Of course, you can make a promise with Nanako to play with her as Kurama and I will be busy from time to time." Teddie didn't know what to say as Nanako looked at him with a joyful smile and brightened Teddie's hopes. "Alright Nana-chan," said Teddie as he return a smile of his own, "I promise to come play with you when Kurama and Sensei aren't around…and if Yosuke allows me." Kurama looked back and saw Nanako and Teddie joyfully sing the Junes theme and silently thanked Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie for easing his mind about leaving Nanako by herself.

Everyone sat around the table as five plates of five different omelets were presented. Yosuke saw two of the omelets with a questionable look and said, "Maybe we should try the omelets…to see if we can keep them down." Everyone soon looked at Chie and Yukiko as if having second thoughts about their omelets. "Oh come on," said Chie with annoyance on her face, "This isn't about the curry is it?" The memory of Mystery Food X still hung in Yu and Yosuke's mind like a really bad itch before Rise said, "Then why not try mine first? I'm sure that my omelet will be much better than what those two had made for you." Yosuke was about to jump at the chance of trying the omelet made by Risette herself, but remembered that her boyfriend was sitting right next to him. "I'll have Kurama try it," said Yosuke as Kurama scooped up a small bite of Rise's omelet.

Naruto placed the piece of omelet in his mouth and immediately felt a burning sensation in his mouth as the spices in the omelet were trying to give him second degree burns in his mouth. **"Wow *hack**hack* that is spicy *hack**hack*!"** said Fox Kurama as he felt the spices in his own mouth, **"What did Rise use *hack**hack* and…ugh…why does it taste like iron now?"** Naruto also tasted iron as he forced himself to swallow the omelet from Hell that his own girlfriend had made. _I should help teach Rise how to cook,_ thought Naruto as he felt fire and iron swim down his throat. **"Before she actually causes you to shit lava,"** said Fox Kurama as an ill feeling crept up on both human and demon.

Yosuke and Yu soon took a bite and flinched at the amount of spiciness the omelet possessed. "We can't give this to Nanako-chan," said both teens as Kurama got himself a large glass of water. Kurama returned as Yukiko said, "Try mine now." Kurama didn't even dare try Yukiko's cooking as he watched Kanji take a large scoop of Yukiko's omelet. It was too late for Yosuke to warn Kanji as he placed the huge bite in his mouth, but Kanji soon got a confused look on his face and took another bite and then another bite. "Um, Kanji-kun," said Yukiko expectantly, "how does it taste?" Kanji thought for a bit and said, "It's…boneless?" Ignoring Yukiko's anger towards Kanji and the fox inside warning him, Kurama decided to take a bite along with Yu. The two of them were surprised that they weren't choking or vomiting only to find absolutely no flavor. "I think Kanji's right, Yukiko," said Kurama as he could hear the demon fox having a mental breakdown about how an omelet could have so many ingredients and yet taste like nothing, "Your omelet is more like oatmeal." It was only when Nanako took a taste of the omelet and said, "I think it tastes good."

Yukiko's bright smile was quickly dowsed as Chie said, "N-n-now try mine!" Both Kuramas contemplated on going for round two when Teddie took a scoop of Chie's omelet. "Wow!" said Teddie with a big grin on his face, "this is awful! Yosuke, Kurama, you've got to try this!" _Not after what you said Cannon Fodder,_ thought Kurama as Yosuke voice his obvious reason to not eat the omelet. Yu tried it and then said, "Well…it's an improvement from the curry." Nanako tried it, much to both Kuramas chagrins, and said "This…tastes…good too." With tears in his eyes, Fox Kurama looked at Nanako from inside Naruto and said, **"Nanako-hime…you are such a saint."** Yukiko then decided to take a bite and began laughing. "Yu-kun and Yosuke-kun are right," said Yukiko as she controlled her laughter, "This is awful!"

Offended, Chie then said, "Then try Rise's as mine has to be better than her's." Accepting the challenge, Yukiko took a bit of Rise's and then immediately passed out. "As predicted," said Kurama before Kanji finished the sentence, "one strike." Before anyone could say a thing, Nanako took a bite of Rise's and her face soon became red. "I-i-it's spicy," said Nanako as sweat rolled down her face, "but it's good." Rise jumped for joy at what Nanako said as Kurama heard the demon fox talk about Nanako being a saint again.

Now for the final two omelets, Yu's and Kurama's, as the two creators silently knew that theirs were much much better than the previous three as Nanako to a taste of the remaining two. "They're both really good," said Nanako as her beaming smile shone brightly. Chie and Rise soon took a taste of the omelets and felt the firework of flavor dance in their mouths. "Foxy-kun," said Rise as she stared at her boyfriend, "this is really wonderful. How did you make this?" Kurama chuckled nervously and said, "Well you learn a few things when you're…you're on your own." Everyone cringed slightly at remembering that Kurama was on his own for almost all of his life. It was unanimous that both Yu and Kurama had won the cook-off.

After finishing the omelets, Yosuke had mentioned an upcoming festival as a means to get edible food and bring Nanako along with them. "The school has also decided to let students have a few days off to mourn for Mr. Morooka," said Kurama as the Investigation Team let out a depressed sigh, "We could try to take our mind off of his death with a trip to the beach. Either that or study." Although Nanako couldn't go with them, the other teens quickly agreed with going to the beach as a part two of their celebration of catching Mitsuo.

***Beach***

The day found the Investigation Team at a nearby beach after driving their scooters there while Kanji and Teddie used a bike and a pair of roller-skates as their transportation. Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie were waiting in their swim trunks as the others were still changing when Kurama appeared wearing a pair of swim trunks and a white sleeveless shirt. "Sorry for taking so long," said Kurama as both of his cerulean eyes and whiskered cheeks shone in the summer sun, "had to make sure that no one was getting free shows." Rise quickly tackled Kurama into a hug and said, "You need to relax Foxy-kun. I'm sure no one would dare bother us while my boyfriend was around."

Everyone talked how each other looked in their own swim wear when Kanji appeared…wearing black swimming briefs. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" said Yosuke as Yukiko blushed and turned her head. "'s just a basic black," said Kanji, clueless about what Yosuke had really meant. "I wasn't talking about the color!" said Yosuke, still flustered, "I'm talking about THAT!" Kurama let out a sigh and said, "It's just a swimsuit…so what if it looks like briefs. He's not breaking any laws." Taking advantage of the confusion which Rise decided to get involved with, Teddie looked at Yukiko, Chie, and Yu and said, "Let's go you guys! We'll be mermaids!" After seeing Teddie run into the water, everyone else quickly joined in on the fun as a few of them played Marco Polo while a few of them hit a beach ball back and forth.

After a couple hours of fun, Yu, Yosuke, and Kurama stood on the sand and watched everyone continue their fun. "Uh oh," said Teddie as he crept around the girls, "seems like there's going to be a wardrobe malfunction." Upon hearing that, Kurama then ran to the waterline and said, "If I catch you causing a 'wardrobe malfiunction' on MY girlfriend, I'll turn you into a bear skin rug!" Kanji saw what Teddie was up to and wrestled him away from the girls and brought him to shore…only to not know something was missing. "AUGH DUDE/KANJI!" said Yu and Yosuke as they shielded their eyes from the sight. "What?" asked the unaware Kanji as Teddie got the worst view out of the guys. "My innocence," cried Teddie as he struggled to get free before passing out. Kanji decided to look down and quickly paled and said, "I was the malfunction! What do I do guys!?" Panicking, Yosuke ran off in a different direction while Yu quickly ran along the shoreline in hopes of finding a way to save everyone from the sight.

On a far off end of the beach, the Konoha ninja 'decided' to go to the beach in order to 'relax.' Tenten, Sakura, and Ino paled at the sight before them when Sasuke appeared and asked, "How's Naruto doing?" Tenten quickly handed Sasuke her binoculars and ran off, saying that she had to go disinfect her eyes for some reason. Taking a look, Sasuke soon paled at what Tenten was talking about while everyone else also watched the scene before them. "Thank Kami that Hanabi is not here," said Hiashi as he saw Hinata blush furiously to a new shade of red, "Forgive me Hinata."

Kurama then decided to remove his shirt as Yosuke and Yu returned with Yosuke holding some seaweed. "I found some seaweed so that…" said Yosuke before he saw Kurama's exposed chest, "…whoa." Yu saw Kurama's chiseled chest and suddenly felt less muscular before he saw the fist-sized scar that was upon Kurama's chest. "Here Kanji," said Kurama as he handed the teen his shirt, "Wrap that around you like a skirt until we find your swimsuit." Kanji quickly obeyed as he was also transfixed on the scar which had an identical twin on Kurama's back in the same spot. The girls arrived to check the commotion as Teddie woke up and they too were transfixed on the scars. Both scars showed much jagged roughness from what could have been a life ending injury.

"What?" asked Naruto as everyone stared at him, "Some guys in Hawaii wear skirts to the beach." Yu decided to break the ice and asked, "Where…where did you get those scars?" Naruto looked around him and saw what everyone was talking about. "Oh these," said Naruto as a melancholic frown appeared on his face, "To everyone, I somehow got impaled on a steel pipe and miraculously survived the whole ordeal. The real story about their origin is known by the Konoha-nin, who by the way are spying on us, and the Dojimas is that Sasuke Uchiha had used an assassination technique, Chidori, on me which created a huge gaping hole in my chest. Kurama had healed most of the damage both during and after the battle, but he couldn't finish when my chakra was sealed off by a Sasuke worshiper, creating these scars. Tsunade wanted to wait until the wounds were healed, but someone jumped the gun on that in hopes of killing me." The Investigation Team stared in horror at the fact that Naruto had been so close to death and yet somehow evades it with such closeness.

The Konoha-nin set down their binoculars as a depressing aura filled the air as everyone, even Tenten, had saw the massive scars. "I almost killed him," said Sasuke as he sat down on the sand, "twice. Why did I have to be an Uchiha? Why did Naruto have to suffer like that?" Kakashi was also kicking himself for being responsible for Naruto's near death and thought, _Why did the Civilian Council make me teach Sasuke the Chidori? I'm so sorry Naruto…Minato-sensei._ Too depressed to continue, the Konoha ninja packed their things and decided to head back to the Amagi Inn after changing.

The rest of the day had went from one awkward turn to another as Kanji found his swimsuit and then the guys explaining to the girls why Kanji had to where Kurama's shirt like a skirt. Everyone was heading back to their scooters in silence, still thinking about the scars on Kurama. "Hey Kurama," asked Chie as she felt uncomfortable about what she was asking, "Does…does Nanako-chan know…about those scars?" Kurama faced the group and nodded, much to everyone's dread. "Of course she knows about the scars as well as their origin," said Kurama with a slight chuckle, "No one could pry Imouto away from me for almost a month. She was so scared." No one could blame the little girl for knowing that someone had almost murdered their older brother. What bothered them more was that the one responsible as still around…trying to get Naruto to come back to them. "Naruto," said Yu as Kurama looked at everyone as they had fire in their eyes, "we promise that you will never feel such pain again!"

Kurama smile as he heard the silent vows within everyone and knew that he was with great friends who would always be there for him in his darkest times and make him feel safe. Kurama and the group rode off into the sunset towards Inaba as the fire shone in the sky was just as bright as the fires within their hearts. Fox Kurama felt the warmth and quietly said, **"Soon, Kit, you will face your ultimate test and you must make a decision that will change your life forever."**

**What does the Nine-Tailed Fox have planned for Naruto as the former blond become more and more closer to the Investigation Team? I was wondering on what to do for another moment Naruto/Kurama would have with the Investigation Team until one of my followers had brought up the idea for the beach. It would be a perfect moment and I decided to give Naruto those huge scars on him. Don't forget to review as your opinions are always welcomed.**

**Ja Ne**


	22. Chapter 21

**This is Ryu Kotei saying sorry for not updating in a while. I've been busy dealing with a few things and trying to get my stories going as well as getting back to playing Skyrim. I will try and get more updates in sooner, but no promises as my mind doesn't seem to be running at times, but I will try and work on my stories.**

**On a final note: I do not own Naruto, Persona 4, or the song used in this chapter.**

"Persona!" normal speech

**"What?"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

_"What?"_ though/mind speak

Chapter 21: Magical Detective Loveline in…The Case of the Missing Nii-San

***Dojima Residence***

Nanako awoke to the sunlight shining into her room and got to up to greet the day. After getting dressed, Nanako walked down the stairs to see Kurama at the dinner table enjoying an egg sandwich as he looked over a piece of paper. "Morning Imouto," said Kurama as he folded the paper and put it in his back pocket, "How are you?" Nanako smiled and gave her brother a hug and said, "I'm doing great Nii-san!" Kurama knew that in a few days would be the festival that he and the others promised to take Nanako to, and he couldn't wait either.

Kurama was about to say something when his cell phone rang, ruining his train of thought at the moment. "Hello?" said Kurama as he reluctantly answered his phone, "Oh hello Amagi-san…You need me to work today? What…Why did he think that the curry your daughter and Chie had made would even be a splinter of a fraction worth tasting? Alright, I'll come in today. See you then, Amagi-san." Kurama closed his phone and looked at Nanako with guilt. "You have to go to work now?" asked Nanako. Kurama nodded his head and said, "Yeah. Apparently one of the workers got sick after eating something really bad so I have to take his shift."

Nanako watched her brother get ready to walk out the door after he explained the rules to Nanako. "I'll be back soon Nanako," said Kurama as he gave his sister a hug, "Love ya." After Kurama had left, Nanako went to the living area and turn the television on to her favorite anime, Magical Detective Loveline. She knew that Kurama worries about her and tries his best to make sure that she's safe, but Nanako always listens to her Nii-san and father when she's by herself. Still, she wouldn't mind having some company on a few days.

Evening had rolled by and the only person to return was Yu and it was getting really late. "Why don't you get some rest Nanako," said Yu as Nanako tried her best to stay awake, "I'll keep an eye out for Kurama." Nanako reluctantly submitted and went up to her room. After climbing into bed, Nanako couldn't help but worry of what might have happened to Kurama; Did he just get lost? _No,_ thought Nanako as Kurama knew his way around Inaba and knew every nook and cranny in their hometown. Did he get hurt? Nanako erased that thought knowing that someone from the inn or her father would have told her. Was he taken? That brought fear to Nanako as she knew that the people that are staying at the Amagi Inn want Kurama to go back to where he once was before and Nanako would end up losing her brother. "Nii-san…" said Nanako as small tears formed in the corners of her eyes, "where are you?"

Time had passed when Nanako heard Yu and her father talking about the accident that took Chisato away from them. She then heard them talking about Kurama and Nanako learned that her brother had to take the night shift as well; more time away from her brother and more dread for Nanako. After hearing the two go to bed, Nanako grabbed one of the pictures in her room to show her and Kurama before his dramatic changes and remembered what made him change his looks…

_Flash Back_

_Nanako saw Naruto look at his growing blond locks and smiled. "With my hair like this I do look like my father, Minato," said Naruto before a frown appear on his face, "But I'm Kurama Dojima, not Naruto Uzumaki or Naruto Namikaze." At that moment, Ryotaro and Chisato saw Naruto looking in the mirror and saw the melancholy on the blonde's face. "Is something wrong Kurama?" asked Chisato while Naruto was still looking in the mirror, "Kurama?"_

_"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Naruto as he gave the Dojimas a nervous smile, "I forgot that I changed my name." Chisato walked towards Naruto's side and looked in the mirror at her adoptive son and said, "How about we gave you a new look." This confused both Naruto and Ryotaro at the thought before Chisato gave Naruto and evaluating look. "Yes, I can actually see you with your own unique look. How about it Sweetie, you up for a new look?" Naruto thought about it and then said, "Yeah I could use a new look…maybe a different hair color or style and maybe something to cover my birthmarks, too."_

_After that, Chisato took Naruto to a good friend in Okina who was a hair stylist and after a few looks at certain hair colors, Naruto's sunny-blonde hair was now a nice shade of chestnut brown and he had a nice flowing mullet. After paying for the new hair style, Chisato then took Naruto to a beauty salon, much to Naruto's chagrin. "Mom, what are we doing here?" asked Naruto as he noticed Chisato looking at some make-up. "We are going to try something," answered Chisato as she compared two different shades of make-up, "I was thinking we could cover your birthmarks with some make-up." Naruto was about to argue, but with the shades he saw Chisato looking at he decided to go along with Chisato's idea; that, and Naruto wasn't sure how he would look like with a beard. After putting on a sample at the store, Naruto saw how natural he looked without the whiskers…he actually saw Kurama Dojima, but something was missing._

_When Chisato and Naruto arrived, Ryotaro and Nanako were shocked at Naruto's new look. "Hey Dad?" asked Naruto as he looked at the detective with his new mismatched eyes, "How do I look?" Ryotaro questioned the eye color as Naruto and Chisato tried to convince him to let Naruto have the different eye colors and the two of them won and agreed to only have one eye different. Naruto looked out the window with brimming confidence and said, "Look out world, 'cause Kurama Dojima has arrived!"_

_Flash Back End_

Nanako smiled and set the picture back in its place before going back to bed. _Please be safe and come home soon, Nii-san,_ Nanako thought as she drifted off to sleep.

A couple of days had passed and Nanako still hasn't seen Kurama, only Yu and her father. "Big Bro," asked Nanako getting Yu's attention, "where's Nii-san?" Yu set down his coffee and said, "Kurama needed to take care of a few things, but he will be back for the festival." Nanako then watched Yu head out for the day before she ran towards her room and came dressed in her Magical Detective Loveline costume from Halloween last year. "I think it's investigation time!" said Nanako as mimicked Loveline's pose, "Time to search for Nii-san!"

Nanako stepped out of the house to find Chie and Yukiko walking by talking to each other. "Oh hey Nanako-chan," said Yukiko when she saw Nanako, "how are you doing today?" Nanako told the girls about how she was looking for her brother as he never arrived home last night. "That is strange," said Yukiko as she got into a thinking pose, "I told him he could go home after he was finished with the night shift. Maybe he stayed at Rise-chan's, I mean, those two are a couple now so I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed the night there." Nanako smiled as she may not only see her brother, but Risette as well! "Thank you," said Nanako as she ran off towards Marukyu Tofu, "See ya later!" Chie and Yukiko watched Nanako head towards the shopping district until Yukiko asked, "You think she'll find out what Kurama has planned for her?" Chie chuckled and said, "Kurama is a super genius when it comes to pulling wool over people's eyes."

***Marukyu Tofu***

Nanako entered to see Rise working at the register while her grandmother checked the shelves. "Hello Nanako-chan!" said Rise as she walked from the counter and gave Nanako a hug, "How is my favorite fan?" Nanako couldn't help but smile at Rise bubbly attitude before she asked, "Have you seen Nii-san?" Rise looked at Nanako with slight concern and said, "I sorry Nanako-chan, but Kurama-kun left some time ago in such a hurry that he didn't fix his hair. I think he was heading towards Junes so maybe Yosuke might know." After giving Rise one last hug, Nanako left the tofu shop as Rise quietly tiptoed towards her room.

Rise opened the door to reveal Kurama sleeping on the nearby couch with bags under his eyes and his hair a ragged mess. "Sorry I had to lie to Nanako-chan," whispered Rise as she kneeled by the couch and gentle ran a hand through Kurama's hair, "but I wanted to make sure your plan went off without a problem." Rise looked at the piece of paper on the table and knew that it was the perfect plan for what was coming.

***Junes; Food Court***

Nanako looked around the food court, but she couldn't find Kurama…she was beginning to really worry. "Hey Nanako-chan," said Yosuke as he walked towards Nanako, "you looking for Kurama?" Nanako nodded as Teddie arrived and asked, "Hey Yosuke, have you seen my suit? I can't seem to find it." Yosuke shrugged and told Teddie to get back to his station before turning to Nanako and asked, "Are you excited for Summer Festival tonight?" The girl forgot about the festival as her thoughts were all on Nii-san! "Yeah," said Nanako, "but will Kurama-nii be there?" Yosuke got a text earlier from Rise saying that Kurama was with her as Kurama had stayed up all night taking care of the night shift and the Konoha-nin had kept bugging him to go back with them time and time again. "Of course, Nanako-chan," said Yosuke with a quick smile, "He's your brother and he would do anything to make sure you're safe and happy." Nanako smiled as Yosuke was right when it comes to Kurama; Nanako's brother was always there for her whenever he can and does his best to help Nanako when she heeds it.

"Hello Nanako-chan, Yosuke-san," said a familiar voice as the two in question turned to see Neji with some shopping bags. "Hey Neji," said Yosuke trying to hide the defensiveness in his voice, "You need help with anything?" Neji shook his head and said, "That won't be necessary; I've found what I needed at the moment, but I will let you know if anything comes up." Neji sat down as he placed his bags down and pulled out a water bottle from one of the bags before taking a drink. Nanako sat by the Hyuga and asked, "Have…have you seen Kurama-nii?" Neji looked at Nanako and saw the worried look in her eyes and said, "I haven't seen him since last night at the inn. If I know Naruto, he will show up and he will always be with you."

"YOSH!" cried Lee as he suddenly appeared next to Neji, giving the poor Hyuga a near heart attack, "Even though Naruto-san has changed his looks and name, he is still his old youthful self!" Nanako laughed at Lee's silliness and Neji trying to calm his heart. "See Neji," said Lee with a large smile on his face and tears running down his face, "even Nanako-chan possesses the Flames of Youth!"

"DON'T YOU DARE GET HER STARTED ON THAT!" commanded Neji before lowering his voice, "Naruto would kill us if his little sister gets involved with all that Flames of Youth cra-er-uh-nonsense!" Nanako was confused about what Lee had said as she watched the two Konoha-nin leave, leaving her mind to wonder. "Flames of Youth?" asked Teddie as Yosuke felt a strange sense of dread at those words, "I wonder what that would be like…"

**Amagi Inn**

"I don't what it is," said Gai as he looked out the window of the inn, "but I have the strangest feeling that there is someone who wants to know more about the passionate Flames of Youth." All the Konoha-nin paled and prayed to Kami that neither Gai nor Lee would be able to recruit that person. "I MUST GO MEET THIS MYSTERIOUS PERSON AND TELL HIM OR HER ABOUT PASSIONATE FLAMES OF YOUTH!" cheered Gai as he dashed out of the inn with a panicking Kakashi following him.

***Samegawa Floodplains***

Nanako was sitting at the swings with a depressed look on her face as she had looked all over Junes, even with the help of Yosuke and Teddie, and still no sign of Kurama. The festival was going to start soon and she was beginning to worry that Kurama was taken again and he would never return this time. A sad breeze blew through Nanako's hair as the little girl began to sing a gentle song that she had memorized...

_Can't get my mind out of those memories,_

_Now time to tell them "Don't take my dream,"_

_Still music keeps on turning me from the word that hurt my soul,_

_Removing doubts from my mind._

Little did Nanako know was that behind her was Sasuke who grew curious at the beautiful, yet near melancholic, sound dancing around the floodplains. "Nanako," Sasuke whispered o himself as he carefully stayed hidden, "why must the young be a target of such pain." Sasuke continued to listen to Nanako's voice as she continued the song.

_Those long days passing by through that door,_

_Like late summers they slowly fade away,_

_Finding ways through the favorite tune,_

_Play all day with my eyes closed._

_Those long days passing by through that door,_

_Like late summers they slowly fade away,_

_Finding ways through the favorite tune,_

_Filling me with those sounds._

Memories ran through both Nanako's and Sasuke's minds as Nanako calmed herself down from the few painful memories entered her mind. Nanako's memories started from her mother's funeral and from there, memories of her father became less and less. Nanako then remembered how her family was becoming more distant after Yu had arrived. Then Kurama's kidnapping; that was one of her worst memories, right next to losing her mother. After both Kurama and Ryotaro had told Nanako that the Konoha-nin their well-guarded secret the Konoha-nin had been coming by every day and bugging Kurama to come back with them. Nanako just wanted to have her family back to the way it was…nice and happy.

Sasuke remembered losing his entire clan and being alone all those years. He remembered how the village 'raised' him to be the spoiled brat that he once was and Naruto was never given what he really needed. It was when Sasuke learned the truth about the blond and was sickened at what he had to go through. Sasuke couldn't last no more than two months while Naruto went through twelve years of all that hellish abuse. Everyday Sasuke asked himself how the one that he saw as a brother was still sane, or even alive, after all that.

After clearing her mind, Nanako continued singing the song…

_I can't remember the smile that you gave it to me,_

_I have no way to tell you "Don't walk away,"_

_Still sorrow keeps on tying me, but my soul want to get free,_

_Let my heart let loose from a chain._

_Those long days passing by through that door,_

_Like frail snow they slowly disappear,_

_Finding ways through the favorite thoughts,_

_Cocoon me in floaty bliss._

_Those long days passing by through that door,_

_Like frail snow they slowly disappear,_

_Finding ways through the favorite friends,_

_Filling me with warm embrace._

_Those long days passing by through that door,_

_Like late summers they slowly fade away,_

_Finding ways through the favorite tune,_

_Play all day with my eyes closed._

_Those long days passing by through that door,_

_Like late summers they slowly fade away,_

_Finding ways through the favorite tune,_

_Filling me with those sounds._

Nanako let out a sigh as she finished her song until the creaking sound of the chains on the swing next to her caught her attention. "Is it alright if I sit here?" asked a young boy wearing a blue cap and matching blue coat, "I'm Naoto Shirogane. I was walking by the area when I heard your song." Nanako smiled and said, "I'm Nanako Dojima. I was…just thinking about Kurama-nii." Naoto knew that this was Ryotaro's daughter and Naruto's sister, but couldn't help but see the sadness in her face. "You're worried about how your brother's been acting," said Naoto before he placed a comforting hand on Nanako's shoulder, "I am quite sure that your brother cares deeply about you. If not seeing him having a panicking fit about being late for the festival and leaving you by yourself for only a couple of days wasn't proof, then he would probably do whatever he can to make sure that you are safe and happy." Nanako felt glad that her brother would panic about not keeping his promise, but that didn't erase all of her fears.

"Nanako," called a voice that grabbed both Nanako and Naoto's attention and the two of them saw Kurama jogging towards them, "Hey there Imouto." Nanako jumped from the swing and hugged her brother. "Nii-san," said Nanako as she looked up to see Kurama's kind, understanding face, "where have you been; I was... afraid." Kurama kneeled down to Nanako's level and said, "I'm sorry if I wasn't there these past couple of days and I know that the people from Konohagakure are making things uncomfortable, but know this…" Kurama then enveloped Nanako in a loving hug as tears slowly rolled from his eyes. "I love you and I care for you so much that after Mom had died, I have had nightmares about being all alone; sometimes it was just me, like nothing had changed compared to my past, but sometimes I see just you…sitting in the house…all by yourself with no one around you to be there for you. I've been through that and I know that it was all pain, even with what few friends that I did have, and I would never wish that on anyone…I would just wish that people would understand me for who I am, not because of some name or title, certain conditions, or who my parents were, but as me. I went through the first twelve years of my life alone and I still feel some of those scars today, but you don't need to go through that." Nanako felt Kurama tense up and heard the silent sobs and knew that her brother really loved her so and decided to return the hug. "Thank you," said Nanako as joyful tears slid down her face, "Kurama-nii. I love you too." After drying their tears, the two siblings headed off towards home to get ready for the festival tonight.

***Tatsuhime Shrine***

"Where the hell is Kurama?" Yosuke asked as he, Yu, Teddie, and Kanji were waiting for the rest of the Investigation Team, "I understand about the girls as they have to get ready, but Kurama…what gives?" That was when Kurama appeared with Nanako at his side and said, "Sorry if we're late, I needed to get something from the house and pick up Nanako after the girls help her with her kimono." Nanako proudly smiled at how she looked in her pink kimono as it was difficult to not only put on but walk in as well. That was when the other girls showed up in their own kimonos; Chie wore a white kimono with yellow-green flowers, Yukiko's kimono was a navy blue with white snowflake-like designs, and Rise's was a nice shade of red with white floral designs. "Sorry for taking so long," said Chie as Rise then said, "We had to wrap towels inside them just to get them to fit."

"You all look beautiful," said Yu as he looked at Yukiko, "especially you Yukiko-chan." Yukiko could help but blush at Yu's comment before Yosuke spoke up. "Yukiko-chan?" asked the brunette as he looked at Yu and then Yukiko, "As in…" Yukiko walked towards Yu and wrapped an arm around his, giving everyone evidence that those two are a couple. Kurama flashed Yu a thumbs up as Yu returned the gesture with his own as Rise wrapped her arms around his cousin's. _Wow,_ Chie thought as she noticed something, _aside from Nanako-chan, I'm the only one without a date._

**"It doesn't have to be that way, Chie-sama,"** said Tomoe within Chie's mind, **"I know that Kurama is already with Rise, but there is someone else…"** Chie knew that her little crush on Kurama was just that, a crush, but she was wondering who that person could be. The only one that did pop into her mind was Yosuke as she remembered seeing him in her mind when she saw her Shadow with Yukiko. She didn't want to admit it, but there was something about Yosuke that drew her to him as her Shadow had occasionally eyed Yosuke with that merciful glare that made the Shadow want to hurt Yosuke more. The butterflies in her stomach made Chie realize that she was now walking around the place with Teddie instead of Yosuke. _Why do I feel this way now?_ Chie asked herself.

Kurama and Rise had headed off in a different direction after Ryotaro arrived and decided to spend time with Nanako. "Isn't this lovely Foxy-kun," said Rise as she rested her head on Kurama's shoulder, "You, me, and the beautiful paper lanterns all around us…so romantic." Kurama sent a small smile towards his girlfriend before he stopped and reached into his pocket. "I have something to give you Hime," said Kurama as he pulled out a long box and opened it to reveal the necklace he had won from Tsunade, "This necklace once belonged to someone I considered my grandmother." The pop idol was stunned by the beauty of the necklace before she said, "She must have been beautiful…but why are you giving it to me?" Kurama kissed Rise on the forehead and then said, "Because you are someone really precious to me and I love you with every fiber in my heart. Baa-chan had lost those she considered precious and thought that the necklace was cursed before she met me. She was really stubborn, but she changed after I had won the bet we made which led me to having this." Rise wasn't sure what to say before she put the necklace around her neck and looked at herself in the mirror. "I don't like it Foxy," said Rise before she tackled Kurama into a kiss. She soon broke the kiss and said, "I love it and I love you." Kurama smiled and said, "I love you too, Tofu-hime."

Inside Naruto's mind, Fox Kurama smiled as he watched Naruto and Rise enjoying the rest of their date as the two went from one stand to the other while Naruto would now and then tell tales of his exploits…even with a few exaggerated parts. **"Congratulations Kit,"** said Fox Kurama as he decided to take a nap, **"You are now closer to obtaining your true power."** The demon fox knew that Naruto was going to need all the support he could get with what the fox had planned for him.

***Dojima Residence***

Nanako was looking at the new picture she had gotten at the festival; it was a picture of her, Kurama, and Rise. Nanako smiled as she dreamed of being with her family with her mother pouring coffee for Ryotaro while Kurama was throwing a Frisbee as a red fox jumped up to catch it. In the sky was Loveline as she began to write a message in the sky: CASE CLOSED!

**Well, got through this chapter. If the chapter seems off, it mostly because my mind wasn't working on story ideas as much (we all had to face it every now and then). I thought I might add "Heaven" in this scene and I can really imagine Nanako singing something like this as the song does fit her as well as her dungeon.**

**Ja Ne**

**P.S. I saw that World War Z movie and it was awesome!**


	23. Chapter 22

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4. If I did, Mothman from the Persona Series would look WAY more different than the how he originally looks.**

"Persona!" normal speech

**"Persona!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

_"Come forth!"_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 22: The Fox's Fire

***Shadow World: Void Quest***

Kurama was mowing Shadows down left and right as he, Yu, Yukiko, and Kanji were training. A few days after the festival, Kurama saw some changes within the group and if Chie's and Yukiko's new Personas weren't proof, then it would be Yu's power and proficiency with his own Personas. Kanji was even slightly braver with getting knitting materials and even some classmates and random people Kurama had never even met seem to radiate some sort of aura when Yu was with them. _What is it about Yu that gives people an aura of some sort of revelation?_ Kurama thought as he watched Kitsune burn a Shadow to ashes.

Kurama had even spent some time with Yu as said person had helped him with understanding his problems. From simple, yet difficult questions, to doing favors and IOUs, and even problems with the Konoha-nin; Yu had helped him whenever it was needed. Like how Yu helped him just yesterday…

_Flashback_

**_*Samegawa Floodplains*_**

_Kurama stood at the platform on the floodplains with his old forehead protector in his hand. He looked at it as memories entered his mind; bad memories with the villagers, good memories with his team and friends, memorable battles with near to impossible odds, Iruka giving Naruto the very forehead protector he held right now. _I want to get rid of it,_ Kurama thought as he readied himself to toss the item away before relenting,_ but getting rid of it like this…doesn't seem right.

_"Hey, Kurama," said a voice as the brunette turned to see Yu, "how are you doing?" Yu saw the forehead protector in his cousin's hand and asked what it was. "This old thing?" said Kurama as he held the forehead protector out, "'s just a piece of the past. To be honest, I was thinking about tossing it away…too many memories." Kurama placed the item in his pocket when Yu asked, "Why would you toss something important away? Rise showed us the necklace you gave her during the Summer Festival and told us that it was a part of your past. If the protector was connected to your past like the necklace, then why throw it away?"_

_"Those memories with that necklace are actually completely different then the memories this holds," said Kurama as he thought back to some of the memories, "The memories that the protector holds are full of pain and joy." Yu gave his cousin a confused look as Kurama let out a long sigh. "The necklace shows the hidden connection between me and Baa-chan, Tsunade Senju, as it once belonged to her grandfather, the First Hokage, then that necklace was given to her brother and then her lover. Both had died which led Tsunade to believe that the necklace was cursed…at least until I changed her mind on that. She gave it to me and believed that I could actually achieve what I dreamed about. I've only wore the necklace on certain occasions after my banishment before I gave it to Rise-chan."_

_"What about the protector?" asked Yu as Kurama paused to gather his thoughts. "The protector once belonged to Iruka Umino, one of the very few adults who saw me for who I was and not because of the demon fox," said Kurama as the memory of Mizuki's betrayal and Iruka giving the very protector to him, "After he had given this to me, more memories had been created because of this. Memories of doing D-ranked missions with my team, being treated like crap by the villagers for even breathing, my first life-or-death situation in Kiri when my team faced Zabuza and Haku, then the Chunin Exams as all that led to even more different memories, and finally going out to retrieve Sasuke, only to be banished because I had used 'unnecessary' force to get him. I try to get those memories out and had succeeded for the past two years…at least until all this had happened when the Konoha-nin discovered my real identity." Yu saw the pained look in Kurama's eyes and knew that this was still eating at his heart._

_Both Kurama and Yu stared off into the distance until someone had called out for Kurama…more correctly, for Naruto. Naruto and Yu turned to see Kiba and Akamaru, Lee, and Sakura as the four approached them. "What do you want now?" asked Naruto as his question sounded more like an order. "Easy there Naruto," said Kiba as he raised his hands in a defensive manner, "We just want to talk to you like always, honestly." _Why do I not believe that?_ Yu thought as he saw the offended look in Naruto's face. "Naruto," said Sakura as she took a couple steps closer to the former blond, "Tsunade has been worried about you and she was completely devastated after your banishment; she even works without complaining or demanding to have sake until the withdrawal kicks in. She's actually worse without alcohol in her system for a week than when she's completely hammered!"_

_"Baa-chan always did have a problem as both an alcoholic and a gambling addict," scoffed Naruto as he crossed his arms. "Naruto-san!" said Lee as he and the other Konoha-nin were caught off guard by how Naruto spoke about Tsunade, "How could you say such things about someone precious to you? Do you not care!?"_

_"I do care for her and I still miss her as I sometimes wish I could just talk to her, especially after Mom's death!" said Naruto as anger flashed in his eyes. "What about us?" said Kiba as waved his hands towards himself and Sakura and Lee, "You treat us like you don't even know us, even after all the shit we've gone through! Sakura and Sasuke told us about your guys' mission to Kiri about how you yelled at Inari! After going through all the files that were about you, we finally understood your pain. What about the crap during the Chunin Exams, huh? What about our fight, your fight with Neji, that promise you made with Hinata, fighting Gaara when he let loose that monster? Did none of that matter!? Didn't you even care when all of us were in the hospital after our fight with Orochimaru's henchmen!?"_

_In a flash, everyone saw Kiba flying to the ground after Naruto had punched him in the face. Everyone saw that both Naruto's eyes were a blood red before he calmed himself down as one of the red eyes return to the cerulean blue. "I did care for you guys," said Naruto as he towered over the now fallen Kiba, "I couldn't be mad at you guys for not helping me when the council wanted to banish me as you all were in critical conditions. I didn't want you guys to risk your lives for just trying to vouch for me. The only one on our five-" *bark* "six man team that I __**was**__ mad at for not being there was Shikamaru as he was at the hospital for only a broken finger, at least until you joined him Kiba for how you guys have been speaking about my life here. I understand completely that he was scared to death about losing anyone on the team, especially Choji, but he needed to understand even if it's with best friends or siblings that if you're going to have a team, you can't play favorites. Even if Choji had died, Shikamaru would have to learn that life never plays fair, 'cause if it did, the asshole who pushed my family into a delicate state for running over Mom would be rotting in prison and Dad would be helping me with Nanako! But no…" Yu saw the tears rolling down Naruto's face as the Konoha-nin were stunned by the sight. "That bastard is on the loose, Dad is still looking into that case, which by the way has gone cold, Nanako is all by herself, and now all this shit about the kidnapping/murders!" continued Naruto as Kiba got to his feet with the help of Akamaru. "But they got the guy responsible behind bars now," said Sakura, "You can rest easy now. I'm sure Yu is willing to look after Nanako."_

_"I know that!" shouted Naruto before he calmed his nerves again, "I know…but the thing with Kubo behind bars and Yu looking after Nanako for me when I'm not there, they're just security blankets." Naruto carefully rubbed the tears out of his eyes before continuing, "Just because one criminal is behind bars doesn't mean complete safety as Nanako could be in any amount of both danger and loneliness. As for Yu, he's only here for almost a year because his parents are always traveling, meaning that he is never in the same town or city for real long to make friends. Yu told me that even with his popularity, he only saw people as mere acquaintances. But now Yu has made real friends with Yosuke, Chie, Teddie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, and myself…on top of all that, Yukiko is his girlfriend and Nanako treats him like how she treats me, a brother that she can go to. But even then Yu would have to leave and even though we know that he's there for us…it is just painful to see someone you know on such an emotional level leave just like that! How would Nanako react to not seeing her Big Bro while Nii-san is away at work or soccer practice?"_

_"But Naruto-san," said Lee, "If you that worried about her, we could ask Nanako-chan if she wanted to go with you to the Elemental Countries. I sure that Lady Tsunade would-"_

_"ENOUGH!" shouted Yu as his voice echoed with absolute authority, "Why is it so hard for all of you to see that Naruto is happy here, where he has real friends and family!? All this bullshit you are doing is only making things worse for him!" Naruto was completely stunned as he watched Yu argue with the Konoha-nin and defending him. "He's right on both counts as one criminal behind bars doesn't change the fact that Nanako could be hurt or killed and I'm only here for this school year!" said Yu as he got into a fighting stance, "Now if you don't have anything to say to me or Kurama, get out of our sights!" The Konoha-nin quickly bolted away, but not without taking another look at Naruto, leaving Yu and his cousin to themselves._

_After some time had passed in silence, Yu and Kurama were sitting on the bank and watching the clouds roll by. "No wonder Shikamaru loves to watch the clouds go by," said Kurama as he now began to wish that he was a cloud, "Clouds have very little to be troubled with." Yu smiled at the thought of just floating innocently through the sky without a care in the world. "Thank you," said Kurama with a cracked voice, "Thank you for being there Yu." Yu looked and saw tears rolling down Kurama's face as well as a grateful smile. "If you hadn't been here today, I'm not sure what could have happened…" said Kurama as he brought a hand to his vision, "I mean I already decked Kiba in the face and I'm pretty sure Lee was next. Thanks." Kurama wiped the tears off of his face, ignoring the make-up smearing off his cheeks, and got to his feet along with Yu. Both looked at each other with understanding smiles and bumped fists before heading off towards home._

_"So I'm a security blanket," Yu joked as Kurama chuckled with embarrassment._

_Flashback End_

***Shadow World; Void Quest***

Kurama smiled at the memory before more Shadows approached at his team and Yu was still seeing stars. "Hey!" said Kurama as he lightly punched Yu, snapping him out of his daze, "Focus!" Yu shook his head and quickly summoned Principality and took out the Shadows in one go. At the end of the battle, Kurama was shaking his sore hand and said, "You just had to have Persona that is strong against regular attacks." The group continued to train until they decided to call it quits for now.

At the entrance, everyone was about to leave when Kurama spoke up. "Hold on everyone," said Kurama, getting everyone's attention, "We need to go to the sewage plant. There's something I have to do." Everyone wanted to head back home, but decided that Kurama could use their help as this could be important to the group.

***Shadow World; Uzumaki/Dojima Sewage Plant***

After fighting their way through numerous Shadows, the Investigation Team had made it to the chamber where they had fought Kurama's Shadow and felt some sort of power oozing from the other side. "So what going on?" asked Yosuke as Kurama walked towards the doors. "The fox called me here for something very important," said Kurama as he turned to face the group, "All I know is that he wanted to see me for something and I had to be here." Kurama faced the doors again with great courage that quickly vanished into hesitating fear. _Do I really want to go through this?_ Kurama thought as he moved his shaking hands towards the door, heart racing in his mind. He then felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and turned to see both Yu and Rise with a hand on each shoulder in a comforting way. Seeing the understanding fire in everyone's eyes, Kurama gave the doors a mighty shove with his renewed courage, ready for whatever the fox had planned for him.

The group entered the room to find the masked man in red waiting inside the cage and he was standing near one of the bars as if expecting something. **"You're late Kit,"** said the man as he pushed himself off the bar, **"You better have a damn good reason for this."** Naruto took a few steps forward and said, "I had to deal with a lot of crap so what do you have planned, Kurama." Confused, Kanji walked next to Naruto and asked, "Who are you anyway?" The masked man took a few steps backwards into the cage as a red ooze-like material covered the man. Everyone watched as the mask man was swallowed by the material and changed into a giant fox with dark orange fur, menacing red eyes, and nine long tails. **"I am Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!"** said Fox Kurama as he let out a mighty roar, sending a shock wave towards the group.

"Why have you called me here?" asked Naruto as he stood unfazed. **"Right to the point,"** said Fox Kurama as he looked down at Naruto, **"I have called you here to test you, Kit."** At that moment, Kitsune suddenly appeared next to Naruto in a defensive position. **"You may have faced your Shadow and obtained your Persona,"** said Fox Kurama as a small tower of water formed in front of the cage, **"There is still much darkness within you…this darkness is the reason you cannot use your powers of a jinchuriki like your friends."** The tower of water began to glow ominously and take form…Naruto's original look with the only exception of height. This Naruto opened his eyes to reveal one red eye and a yellow eye and a dark smile formed on his face. **"Hello…"** said this new Naruto, **"me."**

"What the Hell!?" said Kanji as everyone was surprised at what they saw, "How is his Shadow here while Kitsune is here!?" At that moment, Fox Kurama said, **"This is not just the Kit's Shadow, but the darkness inside of him; his self-doubt, his hatred…all forming its own psyche."** A light blue card formed next to Dark Naruto and then formed into a more evil form of Kitsune; it had fur black as coal with blood-red markings on its face and there was no mask as this Kitsune had a look of pure hatred on its face. "He has a Persona!" said Chie with shock and fear on her face, "How is that even possible!?" Fox Kurama looked at the group and said, **"Since the darkness within Naruto has formed its own psyche, it has its own Persona."**

The demon fox then looked at Naruto and said,** "Naruto, you must face the darkness that has been created inside of you if you truly want to have full control of your Persona's power as a jinchuriki."** A bright light enveloped the whole team as a barrier formed, separating Naruto with the rest of the Investigation Team. **"Your friends can only provide you with support as this is your battle and yours alone,"** said Fox Kurama as Dark Naruto and Black Kitsune got into a fighting stance and rushed towards Naruto and Kitsune.

Naruto was able to block the attack as he and Kitsune jumped away from their opponents. "Kitsune/**Black Kitsune**!" said Naruto and Dark Naruto as they smashed their respective Persona's card, "Rak**unda**!" Both Persona let out a purple haze and collided before hitting their intended targets. **"Show them no mercy Black Kitsune!"** said Dark Naruto, **"Garudyne!"** Naruto smirked as he stood to take the attack, only to find it launching him into a wall creating a spider web of cracks from the impact. _How did that hurt me!?_ Naruto thought as he pushed himself from the wall as Kitsune shook itself,_ Kitsune is immune to wind attacks._ Naruto's thoughts were interrupted as a large ball of black fire charged towards him, making Naruto and Kitsune act fast. "Suku**kaja!"** said both Narutos as both Kitsunes' eyes glowed and a green aura surrounded their owners. With his enhanced speed, Naruto easily jumped into the side and avoided the fireball, only to see Dark Naruto rushing towards him with a fist cocked back. Naruto dodged the attack and grabbed Dark Naruto's extended arm and threw him towards the wall.

Dark Naruto hit the wall with a sickening smack and fell to the ground in a broken heap. **"Heh…"** said Dark Naruto as he rose to his feet with little to no effort, **"Not bad…too bad that's the only shot you'll be able to get in."** Naruto could only blink as his evil self had launched him into one of the bars of Fox Kurama's cage with a fast and powerful punch. "Naruto-kun!" yelled Rise as she tried to rush towards the fallen brunette, only to be stopped by Yu. "This is Naruto's battle," said Yu as he watched Dark Naruto ruthlessly rushed Naruto into a barrage of attacks, "we can only provide our support." Rise watched with tears in her eyes as Naruto had struggled to get to his feet after taking an onslaught of attacks. _Naruto-kun,_ Rise thought as she saw Naruto shakily get into a fighting stance, _be strong and show the true strength that you possess._

**"Getting tired already,"** mocked Dark Naruto as a menacing grin formed on his face, **"You are really pathetic because I barely even broke a sweat!"** Naruto felt his legs shake as even with Kitsune's regenerative powers, his body was in serious pain. _How is he much stronger than me?_ Naruto thought felt some of the sore placed on his body leave him, _Am I really that weak?_ **"My Lord,"** said Kitsune as he stood on shaking legs, **"our opponent is just a collection of your self-doubt and hatred in physical form. He possesses a fraction of our true power…your true strength milord."** Naruto summoned up more courage and rushed towards his evil self with a mighty roar. **"How pathetic,"** said Dark Naruto as sent a knee towards Naruto's gut and went into yet another barrage of attacks, **"You really don't understand how weak you are. Allow me to show you the difference between us."**

Black Kitsune vanished into a ball of black fire as Dark Naruto absorbed the Persona into his body. Everyone watched in horror as Dark Naruto became a werewolf with midnight black fur and foxlike features and matching tail; a form that was more beast than man as torn and tattered jeans were all that was left after the transformation. **"You could never gain such power from being so weak,"** said Dark Naruto as it got on all fours and began its attack. Naruto never saw the attack coming as blood and torn pieces of clothing flew off his body from the beast's attack before Dark Naruto swiftly turn to smack Naruto with his tail, sending him straight into a wall. "This is starting to look bad," said Yosuke as his mind was blown from witnessing such brutality, "C'mon Naruto get up!" Naruto never even had the chance to move as Dark Naruto grabbed Naruto and threw him to the floor before going into a brutal and ruthless attack. **"Cruel Attack! Cruel Attack! Cruel Attack!"** Dark Naruto said as he pummeled Naruto to the ground while repeating the attack in a dark mantra. Everyone couldn't take their eyes away as they hopelessly watched their friend get pummeled into a bloody pulp.

"Naruto…" said Yukiko as she buried her face into Yu's chest to hide her tears. "So this is it…" said Yosuke as he felt that there was no hope to help Naruto, "Never thought he'd go in a brutal fashion like that." The Investigation Team stood in silence until a loud roar echoed through the room "Senpai!" roared Kanji as his voice echoed in the room, "You can't let this guy beat you because he can use the jinchuriki powers! All that stuff he said about you being weak and pathetic…that's all bullshit! You are WAY stronger than anyone in this very room; me, Chie-senpai, the demon fox…Hell, your even stronger than what even Yu-senpai could ever be! You are a true badass through and though!"

Naruto watched time slow down as Kanji's words echoed in his mind. _Kanji…_Naruto thought as he felt another attack slowly hit him.

**"Cruel Attack!"**

"Kanji-kun's right!" echoed Chie's voice, "We have seen you at your most painful moments and bounce back on your feet like it was nothing, even with a little trouble."

_Chie…_

**"Cruel Attack!"**

"You've dealt with far more crap than anyone one of us could ever imagine!" echoed Yosuke's voice, "You're a freaking legend to us!"

_Yosuke…_

**"Cruel Attack…"**

"Don't let this impostor tell YOU what to do!" said Teddie's voice, "Summon that legendary power from deep inside and go wild!"

_Teddie…_

**"Cruel Atta…"**

"Show us that 'never give up' spirit you possess!" said Yukiko's voice as Naruto could no longer feel pain from the attack.

_Yukiko…_

**"Cruel Att…"**

"Naruto!" echoed Yu's voice, "We are all with you 100% of the way and we will protect you when you need our help! Uncle, the whole team, Nanako, everyone! Never forget that we are here for you and we would face all matters of difficulties that will be thrown at us as you are our friend and friends never abandon each other no matter what!"

_Yu…_

**"Cru…"**

"Naruto," Rise's voice echoed softly, "I will always be there for you and those three years away from you have shown me how much you really mean to me and I am willing to give you every ounce of love and power that I can muster. Even if those dumbasses from Konoha force us apart, I will fight them tooth and nail, just to show them our love. I love you with every fiber of my being as I will even sacrifice my career as an idol just to be with my Foxy-kun! All of the other personalities that I possess shown me the bare truth about our love and I will give up everything just to prove those who get in our way!"

_Rise-chan…_Naruto thought as he felt power building up inside of him. **"Lord Naruto,"** said Kitsune from within Naruto's mind, **"do you hear the voice of those who love you? Do they not fill you with that lost power?"** Dark Naruto's fist was barely moving an inch as Naruto did feel power from his friends as a new vigor filled his body with new found power. "Let's show this bastard," said Naruto as his body began to glow a light blue aura, **"Our Will of Fire!"**

Everyone heard an explosive smack as Naruto grabbed Dark Naruto's fist and held it there with no effort at all. **"What the-"** said Dark Naruto before Naruto's own fist collided into his face and launched the beast into the wall, leaving a much larger spider web of cracked than expected. Naruto rose up to his feet as all evidence on any injury vanished and a blue aura surrounded his body. Dark Naruto looked at his opponent with wide eyes and said, **"Impossible, how can you possess such power when I have it all!?"** Everyone watched as Naruto's body became slender and covered in golden fur while a gourd-shaped bottle with the kanji for 'grain' and a small white bag with the kanji for 'tricks' appeared on his sides and magatama beads surrounded his neck. The tail, foxlike facial features, paws instead of feet, and clawed hands completed Naruto's new look as he now looked like a golden anthropomorphic fox.

"Wow," said Yosuke as he stared at the new Naruto before the team, "he's just…wow." Teddie, Yukiko, and Chie couldn't help but stare at the golden beauty of Naruto's fur. Rise and Yu both smiled as Naruto was able to summon his full power with their support.

**"This power I possess is far stronger than that you could ever dream of,"** said Naruto as he walked towards Dark Naruto, **"This is the full power of my new Persona, Inari!"** Dark Naruto rushed towards Naruto/Inari and was about to punch him square in the face, only for Naruto/Inari to gracefully dodge the attack and stab Dark Naruto in the stomach with his golden tail. **"I've allowed you to cloud my mind far enough,"** said Naruto/Inari as a golden sphere of energy formed in his palm, **"Although you are a part of me…I will banish you to the darkest pits of my mind and purge all darkness within you!"** Naruto/Inari rammed the sphere into Dark Naruto's heart with one final battle cry, **"Zen'no Rasengan** (Almighty Rasengan)**!"** A brilliant light erupted as Dark Naruto vanished with a cry of pain and when the light faded, the Investigation Team saw Naruto returning to his normal self and another Naruto in tattered clothing. Naruto's fight was finally over.

**"Thank you,"** said the other Naruto as he vanished into the darkness. Everyone surrounded Naruto as the brunette fell to his knees in exhaustion. "Whew, that took a lot out of me!" said Naruto as Yu and Rise help him to his feet, "I really need to catch up if I'm to last as long as you guys!" The sound of clapping grabbed everyone's attention as the whole team turned to find Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya applauding Naruto's feat. "We're so proud of you son," said Minato as he and Kushina hugged Naruto with radiating love. "All that self-doubt the gaki had turned his Shadow into what you all saw," said Jiraiya as he ruffled Naruto's hair, "Now without all that darkness, Naruto's Shadow can actually rest more peacefully, if that's possible." Kushina let go of Naruto and turned to face Rise, sending the girl a loving smile. "Rise-chan," said Kushina as her smile radiated warmth, "I'm so glad that my little maelstrom found himself such a sweet girl such as yourself. Minato and I are with you two all the way and you have our blessings." Minato turned to face Yu and said, "Thank you for being there when my son really needed it the most. I'm proud to see that my son will always be in good hands."

The three adults began to fade away before the team. "Guess our borrowed time is up," said Minato as he, Kushina, and Jiraiya gave Naruto one last hug, "Always remember Naruto that no matter what happens, we are always watching you, proud of the man that our son turned out to be, and that your friends will be with you throughout to the end." The Investigation Team watched the three spirits fade away into the next life with tears in their eyes. "Kanji," said Teddie with shock on his face, "are you crying?" Everyone turned to see Kanji with gobs of tears rolling down his face and standing real tough. "These are manly tears damn it!" said Kanji with a cracked voice, "These…*sob*…are manly tears." Fox Kurama watched the team leave the room and knew that Naruto is in good hands and a bright future was ahead. **"Always remember who you really are Kit and that your real friends are with you whenever you need them,"** said Fox Kurama as he lay down and drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

***Dojima Residence***

Yu and Kurama stood in Kurama's bedroom as the brunette grabbed a small chest from the top of his desk. He opened the chest and pulled out the forehead protector he was going to throw away. "Isn't that…" asked Yu before Kurama smiled. "Yes," said Kurama as he grabbed Yu's hand and placed the item in the palm, "I want you to have it." Kurama took in a deep, relaxed breath and said, "Ever since Mom's death, I was always pained by the fact that Nanako was going to be alone whenever I could never be there for her. I was able to bury that pain away for a good while when I saw Nanako taking good care of herself in my absence. But I soon learned that I had more pain in my heart when the Konoha-nin began to question my whereabouts and that created unneeded conflict inside, especially after they had discovered who Kurama Dojima really was. I've had nightmares of leaving Nanako all alone or even killing everyone because of the demon fox…but in reality, I guess I was actually afraid of being alone with no one to really confide in."

Kurama smiled as he slid a hand through his hair and continued, "My cold attitude towards most of the Konoha-nin, I guess, was just a way to push my mind out of the past as it was all just constant reminders that all I've ever lived was a lonely live surrounded by a few real friends and delusional fantasies that I could achieve the impossible by being the stubborn idiot that I was. All I ever wanted was to be there as somebody that people turn to in their time and need and have the power to protect them…like Jiji, Dad, Baa-chan, and the other Hokages. When I was banished, I sort of lost all hope until Nanako show me that I don't need the use of my chakra or a stupid hat to see that I'm already a Hokage that people turn to. I finally achieve my dream of becoming Hokage as I now understand that being Hokage isn't just having awesome jutsus or being the best of the best; being a Hokage means being a shoulder for someone to cry on, being a sage for those who seek advice, and most importantly, someone that future generations can look up to. That is why I'm staying here where my people need me as I'm Inaba's Hokage, Kurama Dojima."

Yu smiled as he saw the fire and understanding passion in Kurama's eyes as his cousin found a new light in his path. Yu then heard the voice of The Hanged Man Arcana speak to him…

**Thou art I…and I am thou…**

**Thou hast established a genuine bond…**

**These genuine bonds…shall be your eyes to see the truth.**

**We bestow upon thee the ability to create Juubi, the ultimate form of the Hanged Man Arcana…**

Yu felt the full power of the Hanged Man as he forged a bond that could never be broken and was now granted the power to create Juubi, the Primordial Beast. **"Hello…"** said a new voice from within Yu's mind, **"It is such an honor that such a mortal could wield my power since that accursed Rikudou Sennin. But know this mortal…"** Yu felt a chill run down his spine from the frightening aura of this Persona's demonic voice. **"You may possess the full power of the Hanged Man,"** said the Juubi, **"but the REAL Juubi's power is far beyond that of yours, Wild Card as he could decimate entire worlds with a single breath. So know your place."** Yu couldn't help but get the feeling that he is really going to have trouble with this new Persona in the future.

"How about I tell you about some of my adventures," said Kurama as Yu decided to listen to how Kurama fought so many powerful opponents and tails of turmoil, knowing that his cousin has finally found out where he truly belongs.

**Kurama/Naruto can now access the jinchuriki power through his new Persona, Inari the god of fox and grain. Now I know that some of you will be thinking that Yu will be godlike and WAY overpowered, but the Juubi Yu will have will be completely watered down in comparison of the actual Ten-Tailed Beast. Even without that power, Yu is already overpowered in his own right for just possessing the Wild Card and the legion of Personas in his arsenal. If your wondering about Black Kitsune's stats, he is just a darker version of Kitsune. One last thing is that Naruto will still have his chakra seal as Zen'no Rasengan will actually consume a massive amount of Spiritual Energy and he can only use it in his hybrid form.**

**Now for Inari's stats:**

**Strengths: Wind-Absorb, Fire-Null, Light-Str**

**Elemental Skills: Wind and Fire skills (Zen'no Rasengan can only be used in hybrid form)**

**Support Skills: Masakukuja, Marakunda**

**Ailment Skills: Sexy Dance, Evil Smile**

**Passive Skills: Regenerate 2, Will of Fire (can survive a mortal blow once per battle)**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Ja Ne!**


	24. Chapter 23

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

**"Persona!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

Chapter 23: Investigating the Investigation Team

***Yasogami High: Front Gates***

"…and that was the real start of my ninja career," said Kurama as he told the Investigation Team about the Bell Test that he had to go through with much nostalgia in his voice. Ever since he awakened his full power that day, Kurama felt comfortable talking about his past and became more relaxed while helping others with their problems. "It's amazing that it was your stomach that helped you pass," said Yukiko as starting laughing. Yosuke let a chill run down his back and said, "I still can't believe you took that _one_ attack like that; what Kakashi done was sick." The others couldn't help but agree at that and dreaded the thought as Kurama said, "At least I can use that as blackmail here."

"Morning," said a familiar voice as the team looked to see Naoto at the gates. "What are you doing here?" asked Yu as Kanji looked away to hide the blush on his cheeks. "What with the kidnapping/murder case in Inaba now closed and the culprit behind bars," said Naoto with a small smile on his face, "my services were no longer required. I've also decided to enroll here as my grandfather and I just live on the outskirts and…my grandfather suggested that I should mingle and make friends instead of burying myself with books and case files." Yosuke hid a small laugh and said, "So you're just lonely since the police don't need you anymore." Kurama quickly gave Yosuke a sharp jab and said, "Another quip like that and you'll be the next target for a few pranks I have planned." Kurama also had a slight feeling in his gut that Naoto was working with the Konoha-nin, but there was actually no reason to not be friendly as to let the detective understand him more. "Well, I will be seeing you all later," said Naoto as he turned towards the school entrance, "especially you Naruto-senpai as I do have some questions for you." Kurama could only face palm as he knew that school was going to be longer and he was going to be having some headaches.

Lunchtime had arrived and Kanji was walking down the hall in hopes of finding Kurama. _I can't believe that Naoto is in my class! Why the hell is he here!?_ Kanji asked himself as his mind soon became a complete mess. **"I am unsure, Kanji-san,"** said Take-Mikazuchi as he tried to sort out the mess in the teen's mind, **"but maybe Kurama-senpai can help you."** Kanji turned around and saw Kurama trying to walk away from Ino, Tenten, and Shino as Kanji decided to step in. "Yo Senpai," said Kanji as he approached Kurama, "think I could talk to ya about something really important." Kurama mouthed a 'thank you' as he and Kanji quickly avoided students and went into the Home Economics room. "So Kanji," said Kurama after Kanji checked to see if anyone was around, "what did you want to talk about?"

"Well," said Kanji as he let out a troubled sigh, "it's about Naoto. I…I…uh, damn it why is this so hard!" After he took a few deep breaths, Kanji faced Kurama in the eyes and said, "I think I may…IthinkImaykindahaveacrushonNaoto!" Kurama clearly heard the demon fox snort awake at the revelation before he said, "Run that by me again." With another deep breath, Kanji said, "I may have a crush on that detective as every time I see him, I feel all weird and I can't focus. I don't know just forget it."

"No Kanji Tatsumi," said Kurama as he kept Kanji from leaving, "I think we should talk about this as what this is could be very important!" The brunette pointed Kanji towards the seat in front of him with a serious look on his face. After seeing that Kanji was somewhat comfortable, Kurama said, "Now what is this about _liking_ Naoto, Kanji?" From the comforting look on his senpai's face, Kanji knew that Kurama would help him in anyway before he took a deep breath. "I really don't know what had happened," said the nearly grey-haired teen as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess it started when Naoto wanted to talk to me after school on the day before I was taken. He said that he was interested in me…HE was INTERESTED in ME!" Kurama carefully placed a comforting hand on Kanji's shoulder and said, "Kanji, just take a nice deep breath and just tell me how it started."

Kanji took a deep breath and let his mind focus on what he was going to say and how he remembered that day. "Well, it started like this…" said Kanji as he began to retell the day that he and Naoto talked.

_Flashback (Kanji's P.O.V.)_

_I woke up that morning with my head still buzzing from what Naoto said about being interested in me. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, _A guy was interested in ME…a GUY was INTERESTED in ME!_ He just up and said that right to my face! I guess Ma overheard me as she told me to behave myself while I'm with the detective like it was nothing; how did she not see that I'm sweating buckets about spending some of my free time with another dude!?_

_After school had ended, I met Naoto at the gate and we headed toward the floodplains. Now my mind was still a complete mess, but I honestly did try to hide my nervousness, at least until he asked me how my day had went. I told him that it was just a normal day, hoping that he bought the lie, but then he asked, "If it was a normal day, then why are you nervous?" After that, I knew I couldn't say that he threw me off guard when he said that he was interested in me, so I made up some bullshit lie saying how everyone in school was looking at me like an escaped lion (which was sort of the truth). We then talked about the day I thrashed those bikers and how I became a delinquent afterwards; we also talked about how I looked up to you, Senpai, and how you have kept me out of major trouble. The only problem was that Naoto would always look at me and when I saw his face, I would get butterflies in my stomach and frogs in my throat as his face…he had a girl's face and IT WAS CUTE!_

_I guess I wasn't paying attention 'cause I somehow stepped on the bank and fell down. I managed to grab something to stop myself, but it didn't do much good as I still took a pretty good fall. Next thing I saw were ash grey eyes, so I put two and two together and found Naoto sitting over me. I don't know how long it was until we got to our feet and dusted ourselves, but I couldn't remember Naoto leaving as I saw that I was by myself. I tried to get my mind together, but that whole incident just wouldn't leave! _There's no way!_ I kept thinking to myself, _Do I have a crush on HIM!?

_That was when I saw Chie and Yosuke-senpai arguing about something, so I just put on my usual 'tough guy' look and walked up to them. I tried talking to them, but when they asked if anything seemed strange…I…kinda lost it and began chasing them as I thought they saw the tumble me and Naoto had. I lost them and headed back home…then I saw them along with Yu and Amagi-senpai and when they asked if anything seemed strange, I again lost it… My mind was such a mess afterwards that I never even noticed being thrown into the TV._

_End Flashback (General P.O.V.)_

"So you think you have a crush on Naoto," said Kurama as he summarized what Kanji had told him, "all because of a few misunderstandings?" A blush from Kanji answered Kurama's question, so Kurama had to think of something to help Kanji. "I'm…I'm not exactly sure on what to say," said Kurama as he began to think, "Just be yourself and try to talk to Naoto. I know it might be difficult, yes, but at least try to talk to him before you do anything crazy. Open up a little and maybe you might learn more, but don't just say "I really like you in that way." No, just try to be calm and try to get your mind together. If he does like you that way, then great as you just have to work the rest out. If not…just remind yourself that you were probably just confused about some things." Kanji gave his senpai a skeptical look and asked, "Are you sure that will work, Senpai?" Before Kurama could answer, the bell for classes to start rang as both teens headed towards their classes. _Please be careful Kanji,_ Kurama thought as he made it to his desk, _I don't want to see one of my close friends get hurt because of something that is easy yet so hard to go through._

After school had ended, the Investigation Team was about head out when they saw Naoto with a couple of girls. "I am sorry," said Naoto with a stoic face, "but I already have plans to talk to Naruto-senpai about some important matters and since he's here, I'll be seeing you." The two girls huffed and walked away as Naoto approached the team…Kurama more specifically. "Hey, Naoto-kun," said Yosuke with a smile on his face, "you wanna hang out with us?" Naoto looked at the group and said, "I'm sorry, but I need to speak with Naruto-senpai privately as I am working on a case involving him…more importantly as to help bridge the gap between him and the Konoha-nin."

Kurama felt the tension in the air and said, "It's alright guys, I can take care of this, no prob." After the Investigation team left, Kurama and Naoto headed towards the roof to chat. Once there, Kurama carefully looked around as the Konoha-nin could _conveniently_ be on the roof. "I assure you, Naruto-senpai that it is just the two of us," said Naoto as he saw the calculative look on the brunette's face, "I want to avoid as much conflict as possible."

Seeing that no one from Konoha was around, Naruto sat on one of the benches and asked, "What do you wish to talk about, Shirogane-san?" Naoto was a bit surprised at the 180 degree attitude change, but quickly said, "Your friends from Konoha have-"

"Before you say anything," said Naruto with authority in his voice, "only a few of those guys are my friends; the rest refuse to see me for me, just as the son of the Fourth Hokage or the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox." Naoto knew he was going to have some difficulty, but he decided to tell the former blond what the Konoha-nin had told him. "Does the name Jiraiya sound familiar to you?" asked Naoto and received a nod from Naruto, "Unfortunately, he had died when he went up against a member of the criminal organization known as Akatsuki…that member was their leader, Pain." Naruto did have a feeling that his godfather had passed away after seeing his spirit while in the Shadow World, but it was still a shock on how he had died. _Aside from letting Konoha know where I was,_ Naruto thought as Jiraiya's face entered his mind, _Pervy Sage died with the whereabouts of my locations with him._ "I've had a feeling that he passed," said Naruto with a small smile, "Although I thought he would have died from a heart attack or from a mob of pissed off women considering how he got ideas for the Icha Icha series."

Naoto shook off the joke and said, "Your friends desperately miss you as Sasuke had told me what he had gone through and that Shikamaru deeply regrets not being there for you when you needed it the most. If you come back, you can get them to understand you more and let them see the real you." Naruto let out a long sigh to hide his anger about what the detective had said and said, "They all had a chance to see the real me before my banishment, but they never took the many opportunities that were given to them. I have lived the first twelve years through so much abuse, both physical AND mental, trained in the ninja art to near death multiple times, I have even both thought AND tried to kill myself; and that was all before I learned that I have a demon fox sealed inside of me!"

Naoto couldn't hide shock on his face as he absorbed what Naruto had told him and pictured Naruto exploding into many different emotions before ending it all. "How…" asked Naoto with fear in his voice, "are you alive or even sane?" Naruto got up and walked towards the chain-link fence, staring off into the sky. "I don't know myself," said Naruto as he turned to face the detective, "I've always thought it was because of the timely intervention of Jiji or how the fox would heal all of my wounds. Back in Konoha, I wanted to prove everyone who doubted me wrong by becoming Hokage; all I got to was defeating a prodigy and saving the village from a monster…even befriending the person that held the very monster. But after getting Sasuke back, I saw the villagers' true colors; none of them gave a damn about me saving them from the One-Tail Demon, Shukaku, or saving their precious Uchiha, all I was to them was a painful reminder of what I held inside: a monster that killed their friends and loved ones."

"But now everyone in the village sees the error of their ways and want forgiveness," said Naoto before getting a threatening glare from Naruto. "That is because they don't see Naruto Uzumaki; they see the son of the Fourth Hokage and the last Namikaze. People only _see_ the error of their ways because they want something from me! Since I'm the last of both the Uzumaki AND the Namikaze clan, the women in the village would line up and try to convince me to have them as one of the multiple wives I would be allowed to have because of the Clan Restoration Act! All I am to them is just someone for all of them to use, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but even that treacherous snake, Orochimaru, would agree with me that the village would only use me for their own gain!"

After letting Naoto absorb his rant, Naruto calmed himself down and headed towards the door. "Senpai wait!" said Naoto before Naruto turned around and grabbed him by the shirt. "I'm not in the mood for any more of your _questions_ so leave. Me. Alone." Naruto let Naoto drop to the floor and went through the door slamming it. Naoto sat on the cold cement in thought of what the former blond had said. "I am truly sorry for how you feel, Senpai," said Naoto as he picked himself off the ground, "I only wish that we could have met on good terms as no one should be alone."

***Samegawa Floodplains***

Kurama was almost through the floodplains when he saw Nanako at the swings with Hanabi while Hiashi and Neji were watching the girls. Taking a chance, Kurama walked up to the group and called out to them as Nanako ran up and hugged her older brother. "Hello Nii-san!" said Nanako as Kurama ruffled his sister's hair, "How was your day?" Kurama smiled and said, "It's been alright, Imouto; just had to deal with a couple of headaches. Who's your friend?" Nanako smiled and said, "This is Hanabi Hyuga and the other two are Hiashi Hyuga, her father, and Neji Hyuga, her cousin." Hiashi and Neji had panicked at what Kurama would say, but Hanabi walked up to Kurama and said, "Hello, Dojima-san, it is such a pleasure to meet you. Nanako-chan told be how you're a wonderful brother to her." Kurama laughed and said, "Please, Dojima-san's my father, call me Kurama. Mind if I talk to your father and cousin?"

Nanako dragged Hanabi to the play structure, leaving the two Huygas and the older Dojima to themselves. "It's amazing how much you have changed Kurama," said Hiashi getting a confused look from the mentioned Dojima. Seeing Kurama's confusion, Neji said, "Lord Hiashi respects your decision of staying here as you have helped our family so much. Lady Hinata and I also see the difference between what you have here and what you had back in the village. I'm personally glad that you not as cold towards me than the others. Why?"

"Why?" asked Kurama as he faced Neji, "Because I didn't want you to risk your life just to save my hide from being banished. Kakashi had told me about everyone's injuries and I didn't expect you, Choji, Kiba and Akamaru to leave the hospital for my account; I mean, you took a really large arrow and I'm pretty sure you lost a kidney because of that. I took a Chidori to the chest and I was walking around just fine, aside from the gaping hole, and if I was like everybody else, I wouldn't be standing here today." Kurama smiled as he saw Nanako and Hanabi swinging on the jungle gym and continued, "Why should I have animosity towards someone who was in the hospital for possible life-threatening injuries? Besides, we were all still genin, aside from Shikamaru, and you had no idea about my banishment until it was too late. I hold no grudge towards you or a few others." Both Neji and Hiashi smiled until they saw Kurama's eyes narrow as the teen said, "But just because I forgave a few of you guys, that doesn't mean I've forgiven everyone…especially my former teammates as well as Shikamaru and Kiba." The two Hyugas nodded as they knew how Team 7, Shikamaru, Kiba and a few others were treading on dangerously thin ice as the former blond was all about trust.

Nanako and Hanabi ran towards the trio with Kurama saying, "You ready to head home Imouto?" Nanako had a tired look on her face and after saying their good-byes to the Hyugas, she and Kurama headed off towards home. Halfway home, Kurama saw Nanako's tired look and asked, "You want a piggyback ride? We can stop for ice cream if you like." Nanako smiled as her brother lowered himself so she could grab on and enjoyed the ride as Kurama kept his word about stopping for ice cream. Nanako smiled as she knew she was right about Kurama being the best brother in the world.

***Amagi Inn***

Kakashi and the other jonin, minus Hiashi, were listening to the tape that Naoto provided them. "I'm not in the mood for any more of your _questions_ so leave. Me. Alone." said Naruto's voice as the tape ended, leaving the jonin, except Kakashi, shocked at what they had heard. "I'm with Naoto when she wondered about Naruto's sanity," said Asuma as he tried to shake the pictures of Naruto killing himself, "It's always the ones who say they're fine when in reality they're not." Kakashi was beating himself up inside as the 'timely' intervention of the Third Hokage was thanks to him mostly, but to still hear that someone like Naruto thinking of taking his own life made the silver-haired jonin think of when his father took his own life. _Why am I haunted by death with those I hold close to me?_ Kakashi thought to himself as Gai's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Y-you say something?" said Kakashi as his 'eternal' rival cursed him and his coolness. "What Gai was saying is that will have to tread carefully now that Naruto suspects Naoto working for us," said Kurenai as she was afraid that Naruto would have discovered that Naoto was wearing a wire, "He's not going to give us leniency as what he said was true." Asuma took a drag from the cigarette and blew the smoke outside and said, "Well, who wouldn't want to be friends with the son of the very person who stopped the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. I've also heard that girls from other villages get into massive fights so they could be Naruto's…or should I say, Namikaze-san's girlfriend; like Shikamaru would say, all that was troublesome."

"We have to help Naruto get back to his path of youth as he changed the hearts of even the most feared enemies!" said Gai as tears ran down his face, only to cause Kurenai to run a hand down her face. "Didn't you hear what I said," said Kurenai as her eyes shone a serious ruby color, "Yes, we do need Naruto to come back to the village as he is the only one left that can summon toads and rebuild what relationship we have with a few villages as well as with the daimyo, but we're walking on eggshells; you saw how he acts towards all but a few of us and heard about how Naruto punched Kiba! We should consider it a miracle that Naruto talks to the Hyugas and Choji with little to no animosity." Gai calmed down as Kurenai was right as the Inuzuka had the shiner as proof of the strained friendship. Their whole mission would be all for naught if they were to kidnapped Kurama; they would be no better than Danzo if they did that.

Outside, Neji had just returned when Kiba asked, "Did you see Naruto, Neji? I owe that bastard a knuckle sandwich!" Kiba still had the black eye that Naruto had given him from that day and it took a lot of convincing from the others to keep Kiba from picking a fight at school. "I will only say that you deserved it Kiba as you all keep treating Kurama like he's some _thing_ instead of treating him like a person," said Neji, much to everyone's chagrin, "and I will not tear him away from Nanako-chan and Lady Hanabi would never forgive me if I did that to her friend!"

"Traitor," said Sakura before she turned her attention to the other chunin, "The school trip is coming up and if we stay in a group with Naruto, we can convince him that this place isn't for him and Kujikawa is just a hussy and that Ino, Hinata, and I are the best choices for him! What does he see in her!?" Some of the others nodded in agreement while Neji, Hinata, and Choji were thinking otherwise. "Too bad that bastard Morooka's death made it to where the whole school is taking a field trip to a school and a factory," said Kiba with visible disdain in his voice, "Who the hell does that shit!" All the Konoha 11 had to agree with Kiba as the field trip was going to be worse than the camping trip. "I wonder if Amagi-chan is going to make that heavenly curry?" asked Shino as he got a blanched look from his colleagues, "What?"

***Junes; Food Court***

"DAMN YOU KING MORON!" shouted Yosuke as he learned that in memory of Mr. Morooka, the school trip involved taking a tour of a factory and then a school. "Nooooo!" said Teddie as he approached the table that the Investigation Team was meeting. "This doesn't concern you Teddie," said Kurama as he pinched the bridge off his nose after hearing the demon fox suggested finding a way to resurrect Morooka and then beating the crap out of him before sending him six feet under…again. "Don't worry Foxy," smiled Rise as she hugged her boyfriend's arm, "I'm sure that we'll have a good field trip. I know this great club we can sneak to." _The trip will already be great with you around, Tofu Hime, _Kurama thought as Rise giggled at her own idea.

Far off from where the Investigation Team was a pair of ominous eyes was watching the group head off towards home or work. "It seems our contact was right about Naruto," said the mysterious person as his eyes were on Naruto and Rise, "Soon you will be mine!" The person began to walk away until he bumped into Adachi who dropped his bags of cabbage. "Watch where you're going," said the person with such venom in his voice, "Fool." Adachi quickly gathered his things and dusted off, but not without flashing a smirk towards the person. "I am terribly sorry about that," said Adachi with a goofy grin on his face, "I am just a klutz today." The person watched Adachi leave, knowing that his eyes were right on the right track.

**Who is this person watching Naruto and what does the klutzy cop have to do with him? I hope I did Kanji's memory of talking to Naoto alright; Naoto will still be a girl, but I will try and work a few things out for pairing Kanji and Naoto. The other pairings will be YuxYukiko and ChiexYosuke and I do have an idea on how to work out those moments. Don't forget to leave a review!**

**Ja Ne**

**P.S.: I saw Pacific Rim and it was AWESOME!**


	25. Chapter 24

**This is Ryu Kotei saying that this chapter will feature some drunken craziness as this is the Port Island Trip and I added a couple more dares to the King's Game. This is also feature Kanji getting his full power of his Persona and two love birds getting together.**

**On a final note: I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

"King's Game!" normal speech

**"King's Game!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

_"I am drunk..."_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 24: Games, Hearts, and a Robot

***Gekkoukan High; Front Gates***

**"Dear Kami is this guy boring!"** growled Fox Kurama from inside Naruto's mind as he listened to Gekkoukan High's principal, **"This guy is actually boring me awake!"** Kurama couldn't help but agree with the demon on that statement as everyone was tempted to go to sleep on the spot. _At least that girl doesn't seem as bad as the principal,_ Kurama thought as there was a girl with long dark brown hair wearing the school's uniform giving a nice lecture, _If that principal's not their worst, then Kami forbid we meet them._

***Gekkoukan High; Class 2-F***

"Hello class," said a man wearing a lab coat and glasses, "I am Mr. Edogawa and originally I want to give you all a lecture on Kabbalah, but instead I will tell you all a well-known legend about heart break and betrayal: The story of Izanagi and Izanami." Kurama and the demon were cursing their jinx as they questioned the school's choice of educator. **"What did you think of that Fushimi chick?"** asked Fox Kurama, **"Quite a babe isn't she?"**

_I'm in a relationship with Rise, you baka!_ Naruto scolded before relenting, _Although she is easy on the eyes._ **"Sorry Kit but I don't think we should try anything with her, relationship or not,"** said Fox Kurama, **"I get this aura that she knows someone who could possibly be worse that any of Konoha's Ice Queens."**

***Yakushima; Kirijo Vacation Home***

A woman with red hair was reading a book on the beach when she sneezed. "You okay Mitsuru?" asked a girl in a pink two piece swimsuit. "Yeah, I'm alright Takeba," said the redhead, "I wonder how Aigis and Koromaru are doing without us around?"

***Gekkoukan High***

Everyone was glad to get out of the room as the bell rang for the Yasogami students to continue on their tour. Kurama couldn't help but feel like he was being followed and took a few glances behind him. "Better not be those damned Konoha-nin trying to 'convince' me again," mumbled Kurama as he walked away, not noticing a girl with short blond hair with a strange looking head gear. "His energy signal is giving off a powerful reading; a reading much similar to one of _them,_" whispered the girl as she followed Kurama around, "He could possibly be as strong as or even stronger than…!" The girl silently continued to follow Kurama as if her life depended on it.

***Shirakawa Boulevard; Seaside Clamshell Inn***

"This is where we'll be staying?" asked Kanji as he and the other members look at the hotel before them. "I keep having a feeling that once I go in there, I'm getting molested," said Yosuke as a shiver of dread crawled on his back. As funny as it sounded, no one could laugh as a sickening dread washed over them; something about this place wasn't in any sense of right.

"So they finally arrived," said an eerie voice, causing everyone to look around, "Never would have imagined they'd be here so early." Kurama turned to find a figure on the roof of a building and watched it leap from its spot…only to crash in a pile of garbage. Kanji, Kurama, and Yu got ready for a fight when out of the trash came…Teddie. "WHAT THE HELL YOU WALKING SUITCASE!" yelled Kurama with an enraged fire in his eyes, "HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN GET HERE!?" Chuckling, Teddie said, "I read Yosuke's travel guide and I had hope to score with the girls. So I swore off Topsicles and saved enough money to buy a train ticket! They almost threw me off a few times!"

"What is with all that yelling," said Ms. Kashiwagi, "You better not be fighting over your rooms." Ms. Kashiwagi walked out and when she saw Teddie, she immediately started hugging him. "Ooh! How did you all manage to find such a cute bear?" the teacher squealed as she continued to hug the life out of Teddie. "It's a…" said Yu as he thought of a good excuse, "special…suitcase that I…just made not too long ago; in fact it was just a day before the trip." Ms. Kashiwagi set the 'suitcase' down and looked at Yu with appraisal. "You seem to be quite…nimble with your fingers if you can make something like this," said Ms. Kashiwagi with a disturbingly seductive tone, "I feel jealous of the girl you get." Yu lost all color in his face after his homeroom teacher went inside the hotel and once she was inside, Yu leaned into a nearby garbage can to let his stomach contents fly. "Idiot," said Kurama as he rubbed his cousin's back as Yu continued to try and get the nightmares in his mind out of his brain.

***Escapade***

The next day, the Investigation Team, plus Teddie, was able to get away from the group and made it to a club Rise had told them about. Once inside, everyone felt the beat of the music jump on their skins in a catchy beat as the song echoed in the club. "This is nice," said Kurama as he tapped his foot in the rhythm of the beat before he saw Naoto, "Naoto?" The detective approached the group and said, "I didn't think that this establishment would allow high school students enter."

"Isn't that the kettle calling the pot black," murmured Yosuke as Yu said, "We were just going to be here for a little while, why not join us and relax as you look like you could use it." Naoto gave the offer and said, "Why not; my roommate, Lee, kept me and Neji up most of the night. I'll join you for your fun." The group was sitting in a nice VIP lounge as Rise had pulled some strings to get the seats. "This is great Tofu Hime," said Kurama as he took a sip of his drink, "I should let you choose our hangouts on the next trip!"

"Of courshe Foxy-kun," said Rise in an oddly happy mood, "can I pick'm er what?" _Is Rise drunk?_ Kurama thought as he noticed that Teddie and Yukiko were a bit took chipper. "Are guys okay?" asked Kanji as he took a whiff of the drink before him. "Of courshe we're okay, Kanji…Kanji…Kanji," said Teddie as he began to sway, "I Kanjecture that shomething…ishn't quite right…" Chie couldn't help but face palm when Yukiko began laughing like crazy at the depressingly lame joke. "Someone please tell me they're not drunk!?" begged Yosuke as Rise suddenly jumped up.

"KING'SH GAME!" called Rise as Kurama paled while the others aside from Teddie and Yukiko were confused, "Kanji, get the chopsticksh. The king'sh word…ish law!" Before anyone could act, Yu kneeled and handed Rise a small bunch of chopsticks and said, "Here you Madam: the chopsticks you've requested. *hic*" _Dad's gonna flay me if he learns that Yu got drunk!_ Kurama thought after ignoring the temptation of beating the crap out of his cousin for acting that way with Rise.

After placing numbers and a red marker on the chopsticks, Chie asked, "What is this game?" Kurama sighed and said, "This is known as the King's Game where people draw chopsticks, slips of paper, or whatever could be used and whoever gets the red mark is declared the King or Queen. That person then says a challenge that a person with whatever number or numbers they King says." Rise hugged Kurama in a seductively fashion and said, "Foxy-kun knowsh what he'sh doin'."

Everyone drew chopsticks as the demon fox cursed that Kurama wasn't declared king. "Teddie's red," said Teddie as his chopstick did have a red mark on it, "As first order of King *hic* I delcareth a smooch! Please give me a girl…#2!" Kurama looked at his chopstick and saw that his was marked with a 5, but it was Kanji's poor luck as it was shown that his was marked with a 2. "I knew you were after my fur," accused Teddie as he tried to cover his clothed body before tackling Kanji and giving him a kiss. _Dear Kami save us all,_ Kurama thought as he heard the demon fox laughing its ass off in a drunken manner.

After Kanji and Teddie returned from the lower floor, everyone drew again and to Kurama's luck, he was King this time. "Alright, I the king," said Kurama as he held a mark chopstick. "Alright," said Chie with a relived smile on her face, "someone with decency." Yukiko giggled and said, "Na-ah, thash not how it works. If the previoush king demanded a smooch, then the next one hash to be more crazy." Kurama heard all the crazy, dirty, and even confusing ideas from the demon fox before her said, "#3 must kick #6 and #8 between the legs, no questions asked." Everyone looked to see who was going to be kicking whom…

Yu: #1

Kanji: #5

Teddie: #7

Yosuke: #3

Rise: #2

Chie: #8

Yukiko: #4

Naoto: #6

"Guess I'm the kicker," said Yosuke as he got up with very little enthusiasm in his voice, "Who are my victims?" All color left the teen's face when Naoto and a hesitant Chie walked up. "Give 'm a nice kick Yosuke," said Yu as he flashed a thumbs up as Yosuke was cursing his horrible luck. _Easy for you to say,_ Yosuke scowled, _you're not kicking the girl you secretly like._ Chie and Naoto reluctantly spread their legs as Yosuke said, "Sorry Naoto, but you're first! Please don't arrest me…" Yosuke ran and gave the detective a nice kick that shouldn't hurt him too bad. The detective stood his ground for a few seconds before grabbing himself and fell to the floor. "I am soooo sorry Chie, I try to make it less painful," said Yosuke as he contemplating writing his will. With a quick sprint, Yosuke charged toward Chie and was about to kick, until he slipped on a drink that Kanji had spilled when Teddie was made king. Yosuke slipped on the wet floor and with the added momentum, the teen's kick had more power as a crunch echoed in the room. Chie grabbed herself and fell to her knees as her face scrunched in pain. The fallen girl slowly edged herself towards the trash can and let out her stomach contents inside the can. _I am so dead that I might as well join King Moron,_ thought Yosuke as he knew Chie would try to kill him at a later time.

After Chie recovered, everyone drew chopsticks with Kurama asking who the new king was. Yu tossed his chopstick in the air, spun around while somehow unbuttoning his shirt and successfully caught the chopstick to reveal a red mark. "I'm King," said Yu as he put on his TV glasses. Everyone aside from the three drunks prayed for something less painful and less humiliating. "Make the person sit on your lap!" cheered Rise. "No, no…make them hug you!" said Yukiko in her drunken stupor, "or better yet have them use you as a pillow!" Rise smiled drunkenly and said, "I know! Have 'm flash everyone in thish room!" All but the drunks paled and lost their color at the thought of everyone getting more than an eyeful.

Yu looked at the nearby dartboard, dart in hand, and gave it a good throw as the dart landed on a spot marked '2'. "#2," said Yu before letting out a hiccup, "shall sit on my lap." Everyone checked their chopstick as Chie stood up while Yu took his seat. _Why me?_ Chie thought to herself as she carefully and hesitantly sat on the silver-haired teen. "Thash not how you do it," said Yukiko as she pushed Chie off sat on Yu's lap with her arms wrapped around the teen's neck, "You gotta do it…like you mean it." Rise drunkenly got up and said, "I'm so shorry Foxy as I knew you wanted to shee them…so I'll let you shee them and more." In one fast moment, the idol popped her shirt open and pulled Naoto's head into her bosom. "Rise-chan!" said Naoto as he tried to pull himself free from Rise's grip, "I'm not Naruto-senpai! Let go!" Once Rise let go and buttoned her shirt back up, Naoto was catching his breath while trying his best to ignore Kurama's evil look. "Please forgive me Naruto-senpai," said Naoto as he straightened his hat, "Your girlfriend wasn't in her right mind." No one noticed Kanji and Yosuke having nosebleeds from what they had witnessed.

Everyone was about to draw for the next round when Yukiko said, "Alright, I'm the new King…no wait…Queen. My order ash Queen…shomeone must tell ush their most embarrassing secret…Naoto! Give ush yer dirty laundry *hic*!" _Considering that Naoto is a stiff his most embarrassing secret would be admitting that he farted,_ Kurama thought as the demon fox inside was crying how it missed the Rikudou Sennin, _even if no one was around when it happened._ "You don't have to say anything," said Yosuke in a panicked mood, "You already had to suffer because of Kurama and me."

"No it's quite alright," said Naoto, "but I will only tell you if all of you reveal to me your involvement with the case." Before anyone could object, Yu agreed as Naoto began to speak. "I am sorry to say that I have no embarrassing secret," said Naoto, "but I will tell you of my past. You see, I came from a family of detectives as my parents were detectives as well as my grandfather; I am a 5th generation member of the Shirogane family that is working as a detective. Sadly my parents died in a car crash when I was very young so my grandfather, Kariudo Shirogane, took me in and raised me." Chie noticed the slight pride on Naoto's face and asked, "So you're like that Kuzunoha guy on that show, Detective Devil Kuzunoha?" With a slight nod, Naoto continued, "In a way, but mostly my grandfather took me on cases with him until I was ready to be on my own. I must carry on the Shirogane name and make my family proud."

Silence hung in the room until Yukiko began laughing. "Oh my Gawd," laughed Yukiko, "That ish shooo embarrassing. Hahahaha!" Kurama shook his head as Rise had fallen asleep and rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Now I believe you own me an explanation about you involvement with the case," said Naoto with a confident smirk. "Okay," said Yukiko in her stupor, "There ish thish…thish person out there who throws people into…into the TV. There ish this huge world inside and it ish full of theshe things called Shadows." Aside from Naoto, everyone who wasn't drunk began to panic at Naoto learning their secret. "We go in there and shave 'm from the Shadows with this…totally aweshome power and thanksh to Kura…Kura…Kuraba, we are jinchu…jinchu…"

"Jinchuriki," said Naoto as a scowl of disappointment appeared on his face, "Stop dancing around the truth as it is impossible for a world to exist within the television and the Konoha-nin have told me that molding chakra outside the Elemental Countries take nearly ten times the amount of effort. So tell me the truth, if you don't mind." Rise suddenly woke up and said, "We aren't lying you…you pervert. Pershona!" Thankfully, nothing had happened and Rise immediately went back to sleep.

"How is it possible to get so inebriated when all of these drinks are non-alcoholic?" asked Naoto with anger in his voice. "Wait…" said Yosuke with a slapped look on his face, "This isn't alcohol?" Naoto shook his head and said, "This establishment refused to sell any amount of alcohol into order to reduce drunk driving incidents. Now we should head back to the hotel soon before the teachers begin question our whereabouts." Agreeing with the detective, everyone who wasn't drunk off the atmosphere got the ones who were with Chie carrying Yukiko, Yosuke shouldering Yu, Kanji carrying Teddie, and Kurama carrying Rise and left the establishment.

Little did the group know, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Sasuke were outside the room and were able to listen to the whole event. "I'm so glad we didn't bring Lee here," said Tenten as she remembered the first time that her taijutsu-loving teammate was drunk, "He would have destroyed the whole place by trying to pick a fight with everyone." Shikamaru and Sasuke were thinking more about the Investigation Team being jinchurikis and were wondering about the possibilities. "I'm sure you heard Yukiko saying that everyone in the group is a pseudo-jinchuriki?" asked Shikamaru as Tenten and Sasuke nodded. The Konoha-nin were now wondering what to do with the shocking news that was revealed.

***Naganaki Shrine***

The Investigation Team decided to split up as to 1) not draw attention by having three drunks in one large group, and 2) enjoy a little bit of sight-seeing. Kurama decided to visit the local shrine to pay some respects and hopefully find a way to deal with not only a drunken Rise, but a drunken nine-tailed fox as the fox began singing '99 Bottles of Sake.' "I am going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning," said Kurama as he hung his head in defeat as he sat by an unconscious Rise on a nearby bench at the shrine. Kurama couldn't help but smile as he listened to Rise's soft snoring and occasional sleep talking. That was when he heard footsteps and the quick and ominous sound of a gun loading.

"You are not welcomed here."

***Iwatodai Station***

Yosuke and Chie sat on the bench in front of a takoyaki shop while Yu and Yukiko were out cold on another bench. "Glad we can have some peace and quiet with those two drunks out like that," said Chie as she occasionally glanced at the sleeping duo. "Yeah," said Yosuke as he looked at the unmarred piece of takoyaki, "me too." Chie saw the distant look on the teen's face and knew something was bothering him. "You wanna talk about it?" asked Chie as she scooted closer to Yosuke. "I was just thinking about back the club…" said Yosuke with a solemn look on his face, "I didn't mean to hurt you like that and it was messing with me really bad."

"Why?" asked Chie as she saw Yosuke swallow a lump in his throat. "I…" said Yosuke as he had to swallow another lump and thought, _Dammit! Why does this have to be so hard!?_ "Yosuke-kun," said Chie as she placed a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder, "It's alright; you can tell me." Yosuke knew that it was now or ever to tell her _that._ "I've had a lot on my mind," said Yosuke as he looked at Chie, "but there was always one thing that bothered me: you or to put it in slightly better terms…how I feel about you." A small snort from the unconscious Yukiko caused both Chie and Yosuke to look before relaxing when she fell back to sleep.

"What is it Yosuke-kun?" asked Chie with fearful curiosity, "It's alright if you don't want to say, but even if I get angry at you and kick you, I still care about you." Yosuke let out a sigh and said, "Well…you could say that it all started when Yu and I came back from the Shadow World after Saki-senpai's death…"

_Flashback (Yosuke's P.O.V.)_

**_*Hanamura Residence; Yosuke's Room*_**

_It was a little while after you stormed off and Yu went back to his uncle's house. "I am such an ass!" I scolded myself as the memory of facing my Shadow was still in my mind, "How could I worry Chie like that!?" I froze at that thought. I was grateful that you were able to help me cope a little from losing Saki-senpai and I knew that was why I trusted you with the rope. I looked back at some of the times I had spent some off time with you and then I got this weird feeling. Even looking back at the ten apology steaks I bought for you made me feel weird…but it was a happy weird._

_Then there was the fight against your Shadow…_

**_*Shadow World; Yukiko's Castle*_**

_Your Shadow had Yu and Izanagi in a tight hold with her ungodly bladed hair. That whole fit I sort of thought you were a secret dominatrix and I actually couldn't help but notice a bit of beauty in her. The whizzing sound of her whip snapped me out of my stupor and I dodged just time to launch a Garu at her. She faltered a little, but even with her weakness struck she still stood stronger. I then thought I heard something, but I shook it off as I had Jiraiya try and get Yu and Izanagi free. I made a mistake as her whip cracked against Jiraya and it stung like hell._

_**"Yosuke-kun,"**__ said your Shadow in a seductive yet eerie voice, __**"Kurama-kun's isn't the only boy I've had my eye on. I know that it's just his 'cool guy' charm that attracted me to him, but something didn't click like how you did."**__ I quickly panicked and launched a Garu a point blank in her face. She really reeled back as her hair let go of Yu and Izanagi, but I heard that sound again. It was a moan…but it wasn't a moan in pain. _Is she getting off from wind attacks?_ I thought as Yu switched Personas and a lunched a wind attack of his own. Your Shadow moaned again, but this time it was pain. I wasn't sure on what to think about it, so I shoved those thought to the side as Yu and I proceeded to defeat your Shadow._

**_*Yasogami High; Library*_**

_It was a week and a half after saving Yukiko and your Shadow was still on my mind. I found a psychology book and researched things about the mind and all that. I read that there are some things that we bottle up like pain or a dark secret and how doing something like that could be more harmful than helpful. I also remembered what your Shadow said about me clicking more than Kurama. _I know that Chie-chan has a secret crush on Kurama, but me?_ I thought to myself when I realized I added '-chan' to your name, _What am I thinking?_ I shortly left as all the psychological crap was making my head spin and I was more confused as ever._

**_*Shadow World; Void Quest*_**

_It was when I saw you fuse with Suzuka-Gongen; I couldn't help but stare at your beauty. I'm pretty sure that Susano-O was thinking the same thoughts as we watched you move around the battlefield in an alluring dance. When it was over, when you fell to your knees…I saw the tired smile on your face as I saw _it._ I still remembered how you looked at me when Susano-O and I fused together; you looked at me with such admiration that I knew what I felt…_

_Flashback End (General P.O.V.)_

"What did you feel?" asked Chie as if she already knew the answer. "Chie…" said Yosuke as he knew that it was the point of no return, "I love you." Yosuke was completely surprised when Chie quickly kissed him on the lips, but didn't fight it as it felt…great. Chie pulled her lips back and said, "Yosuke…I've wanted to tell you how I felt about you after you saving me from my Shadow, but I was afraid that you might reject me after all the times I've kicked you or when I charged Teddie's clothes to you." Chie swallowed a lump in her throat and said, "Yosuke…I love you too." Both teens stared into each other's eyes until another snort from Yukiko caught their attention. "Guess we better get these two lovebirds to the hotel," said Yosuke with a chuckle, "The others would kill us if those to slept there the entire night." Yosuke picked up Yu with his shoulder as Chie lifted Yukiko onto her back. "Let's go, my Kung-Fu Tenshi (Angel)," said Yosuke getting a playful jab from his new girlfriend. "Let's," said Chie as she sent a playful smile towards her boyfriend, "my cute Dokeshi (Jester or Clown)."

***Port Island Station***

Kanji was drinking a can of cola as Naoto was drinking a can of tea as Teddie was finally out like a light. "Hey Naoto," said Kanji with regret in his voice, "I'm really sorry about how those three acted. I'm sure that Teddie and Rise-chan would act like that, but Amagi-senpai; I never even knew. Again, I am really sorry about that." Naoto looked at the teen before him and said, "I have already accepted you apology; it was just how they answered my question that got to me." Kanji smiled a bit before he remembered Kurama's advice on…_it._ "Hey Naoto," said Kanji as he gathered some of his courage, "I…I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it Tatsumi-san?" asked Naoto with an eyebrow raised. "H-h-how…how would you a-a-act if I told ya a couple of p-p-personal secrets?" asked Kanji as he tried to hold on to what courage he had, "M-m-my secrets." Both of Naoto's eyebrows were raised in wonder what Kanji was going to say. "You know those dolls at…my family's shop?" asked Kanji as he received a nod from Naoto, "I…euh…*sigh*…I made them." Naoto blinked with confusion as he remembered that a couple of cops had questioned Kanji about an extortion case going around. "I've seen those dolls and I have to say," said Naoto with a small smile, "they are very well done and are quite attractive."

"I knew that it was gonna be like…wait…what?" said Kanji as confusion appeared on his face. "The craftsmanship on each individual doll is quite intricate and each one had a unique flare to them," said Naoto, "I also heard the confrontation you had with those two officers." Kanji swallowed a lump in his throat as he remembered that day clearly. "I couldn't believe that those two didn't even think of talking to the boy or the others you have made the dolls for before talking to you like that," said Naoto with slight disdain in his voice before returning to his stoic face, "Now what was that other secret?"

That got Kanji as he remembered that he was telling Naoto HIS secret, but he was still afraid of saying _it._ "Naoto…I…" said Kanji as he stood straight and tried to fight his blush, "Naoto, I like you." This really caught the detective off guard as Naoto's eyes snapped open at what was said. "I don't know why I feel like how I feel now," said Kanji as he felt his courage slowly fade away, "but ever since that day at the floodplains, I…I get the weird feeling about you and I'm completely embarrassed about it." Kanji summoned up some more courage and continued, "I'm not sure if it's 'cause of that tough GUY act I hide behind, or if I've never really had anyone to talk about something about liking another guy. I mean, I've talked to Kurama-senpai, but he was the only person I could freely talk to since Dad died…"

"Your father died?" asked Naoto as he received a sad nod from Kanji. "Yeah," said Kanji as he ran a hand through his bleached hair, "the one thing I remember my dad said when he died was that I had to be a man now. At first I thought that I had to be tough and not be me as guys don't sew or have anything to do with knitting, but I learned that being a man didn't mean being tough; being a man means that I had to be there and stand up not just for myself but to myself." Kanji felt an overwhelming feeling as his Persona's voice echoed in his mind. **"Kanji-san,"** said Take-Mikazuchi, **"your power to not only accept, but understand your real self has allowed me to obtain a new power. From now on, I am Rokuten Maoh!"** Kanji smiled at his new power before he remembered something: he had just confessed his feeling towards Naoto to that very person!

Naoto watched Kanji freeze up as if he was contemplating something when a thought entered her mind. _He just admitted that he had feeling towards me,_ Naoto thought as she remembered her own secret, _even though he thinks I'm a boy._ In all honesty, Naoto did like how Kanji had told her about how he felt and mentioned the trouble he had faced when confronting his inner demons. _I don't really want to tell him,_ thought Naoto as she contemplated about her secret, _but I think I will at least tell him that lie I told Hatake-san._

"Kanji," said Naoto as the person in question looked at the detective, "I…lied about not having an embarrassing secret; it's just that my secret is just a bit…out there." Kanji blinked and said, "Well, I just confessed my feeling I had towards a guy; how bad could it be?"

"I wear panties," said Naoto getting a slapped look on Kanji's face, "I…like to wear women's underwear as my skin can be sensitive at times and the fabric just feels so nice on my body. It's just panties; no bras." Kanji blinked a couple of time as he watched Naoto squirm a bit from his look. After regaining his composure, Kanji said, "Secret's safe with me…just don't tell others about me _liking_ you like that. Deal?" Naoto smiled and agreed as both teens shook hands. "You have…soft hands," said Kanji with a slight blush. "Thank you Kanji," said Naoto, "but before we try to know each other _like_ that, I suggest we just talk; you could just be confused about your feelings." Kanji laughed and said, "Kurama-senpai said the same thing when I told him." Both teens carried the sleeping Teddie towards the hotel while making small talk, knowing that both of them now carried each other's personal secret.

***Naganaki Shrine***

Kurama stared at a girl with short blond hair wearing some sort of head gear and a Gekkoukan High School uniform with a hand held out towards him. Each fingertip had a hole leading inside as the hand turned a full three-sixty and the sound of bullets being loaded inside can be heard. "I will not repeat myself," said the girl as her eyes narrowed, "Leave…now!" Kurama got up and went to get Rise, only for a bullet to whiz into the ground by his foot. "You will not hurt her," said the girl as her pointer finger was smoking from firing the bullet, "I will take her to the hotel that your school is staying at."

"How can I trust my girlfriend with a complete stranger that just shot at me?" countered Kurama as he thought of tackling the girl before him before he heard the demon fox's voice. **"What happen?"** asked Fox Kurama until he saw the girl, **"Watch yourself Kit; there is something off about her."** _How did you get sober that quick?_ Kurama thought before the fox spoke again. **"That doesn't matter Kit," **said Fox Kurama as he examined the girl, **"Something about her energy is off; it's natural, yet unnatural at the same time! It's as if she's an actual living doll!"**

The rustling sound from the nearby bushes alerted Kurama and the girl as a small dog with white fur and red eyes appeared. The dog was wearing an odd-looking collar with wings on it and a small, dog-sized vest. "Koro-chan," said the girl as she kept her eyes on Kurama. The dog walked towards Kurama and began to sniff him and going in a circle. This continued for a few revolutions before the dog sat down in front of Kurama, wagging its tail. "Uhhh," said Kurama as he looked at the dog before him, "Nice…doggie?" The girl smiled as her fingertips returned from inside her hand and said, "I am sorry for how I acted towards you. I have recognized your power to wield a Persona, but I saw a large amount of dark energy from inside of you. I am Aigis and this is Koromaru."

"You expect me to act like nothing had happened after you threatened me with not just one, but five guns pointed at my head, and shot at me, putting my girlfriend's life in jeopardy!" said Kurama with disgust as he scolded the girl before he suddenly remembered something, "Wait, you have a Persona?" The girl nodded as the dog barked, signaling that even he had a Persona. "I am truly sorry for doing what I did," said the girl as she lifted her skirt to reveal metallic joints in her hips, "I am still learning about being alive." Kurama flinched but saw the metallic joints as the demon fox was saying that the girl was a robot…a life-like robot. "We will leave you be and again," said the girl as she straightened her skirt, "I am sorry for how I acted."

"My name's Kurama Dojima," said Kurama as the girl smiled and walked away. Carefully placing Rise on his back, Kurama carried his girlfriend back to the hotel as the memories of this crazy field trip will be one to never forget.

**I am only going to say that Naoto WILL be a girl as I will work on how her dungeon will go. I'm also hoping that I have improved on adding romance scenes as I haven't written any in a while. Don't forget to review!**

**Ja Ne**


	26. Chapter 25

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4.**

"Persona!" normal speech

**"Persona!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

_"What?"_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 25: Sisterly Faces and Dark Revelations

***Dojima Residence***

Yu and Kurama walked through the door from arriving back from their trip to Tatsumi Port Island and were greeted by Nanako. "Nii-san, Big Bro," said Nanako as she joyfully hugged Yu and Kurama, "how was your trip?" Both teens reached into their souvenir bags and pulled out their gift for Nanako: Yu's was a shirt with Magical Detective Loveline on the front while Kurama's was a princess costume. "Wow! Thanks!" cheered Nanako as she gave the two teens another hug. "I'm home," said Ryotaro as he entered to see Yu and Kurama, "Oh, you're back from your trip. We must have just missed each other." Nanako got her gifts and said, "Look what Nii-san and Big Bro got me!" The older Dojima smiled and said, "They look really nice, Nanako. Did you remember to thank them?" After receiving a nod from Nanako, Ryotaro watched his daughter run up the stairs with her gifts before turning his attention to his son and nephew. "I'm sure those came from your wallets," said Ryotaro as he reached for his own before Kurama stopped him. "You don't have to pay us back Dad," said Kurama, "We were both glad to get Nanako something as she's family. In fact Yu and I both got you a couple of nice mugs, 's least we can do for your help with…_it_."

Ryotaro nodded as he had helped them a bit with the Kubo case and the occasional interfering with the Konoha-nin. Even though the whole kidnapping/murder case was under wraps, there still the few headaches going around.

The family moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. "5,000 yen says that it's one of _them_ trying to get me to come back," said Kurama as Ryotaro answered the door to reveal Asuma and a young woman with chin length black hair wearing a black women's suit with a small pig wearing a red shirt in her arms. Yu was about to hand Naruto a 5,000 yen bill when he saw the shocked look on Kurama's face. "Hope we didn't catch you at a bad time," said the woman as she bowed, "but Asuma told me that Naruto lives here. I'm Shizune Kato." Shizune saw Kurama and she immediately tackled him into a hug. "W-whoa!" said Kurama as he lost his balance, "Shizune-nee-chan!" Shizune tightened her grip as tears fell from her eyes. "Naruto…*sob*…Naruto, I can't believe that it's really you!" Shizune said as tears continued to roll down her eyes, "I've missed you so much…*sob*…and Lady Tsunade and the couple who own Ichiraku's miss you as well!" Kurama gently rubbed Shizune's back and let the woman cry into his chest before the both of them got back to their feet.

"I've missed you as well, Shizune-nee-chan," said Naruto as he hugged Shizune, "Baa-chan as well." Naruto let go of Shizune to see Nanako at the base of the stairs with a look of confusion. "Hey Imouto," said Naruto as he walked towards Nanako, "Remember when I told you about my Nee-chan?" The little girl nodded as Naruto motioned Shizune to come forward. "Nanako," said Naruto with a gentle smile, "this is Shizune, she's my Big Sis whenever I needed someone to talk to." Shizune squatted down to Nanako's level and with a smile, she said, "It's really nice to meet you Nanako-chan. You know, you're really lucky to have a big brother like Naruto. He can be a bit of a handful, but I am really sure that he has always loved you and protected you." Nanako saw the gentleness in Shizune's eyes and knew that she could trust her a little bit, but she could help but ask, "Are you…are you going to take Nii-san away?"

Shizune easily saw the worry in the girl's eyes and from what the others back at the Amagi Inn, Shizune already knew her answer. "Although it is true that I really missed having the little ball of sunshine," said Shizune as she sat on the floor and placing a comforting hand on Nanako, "but that is Naruto's decision and no matter what his answer, I will always support him. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if he decided to stay here as he has almost everything he could ever dream of right here in Inaba." Naruto smiled as he knew that Shizune would always understand him and knew what's best for him. Nanako wrapped Shizune in a loving hug as she was happy that her brother would be staying in Inaba.

Both Nanako and Shizune felt something wriggle in between them and the two of them looked to see Shizune's pet pig looking at them with a smile. "Hey Tonton," said Shizune as she petted the pig on its head, "I know you missed Naruto too, but we should be getting back to Lady Tsunade and Iruka at the Inn."

"Baa-chan and Iruka-sensei are here too?" asked Naruto with shock on his face and received a nod from Shizune. The woman got back to her feet, Tonton in her arms, and said, "Yeah, they're both at the Inn wanting to see you and see how you were handling Jiraiya's death." Ryotaro was shocked to hear that Jiraiya had died, but knew that when you have a job as a spymaster and have…questionable hobbies, that lifestyle would be dangerous. "I'm alright," said Naruto as he placed an arm around Yu's shoulders, "my cousin, Yu, here has helped me with some of my problems. Especially with some of the headaches the other Konoha-nin have caused."

Shizune was about to head out the door when Asuma asked, "Is it true that your friends are pseudo-jinchurikis?" _Crap!_ Yu thought as his eyes widened at what he had heard, _How did they find out!?_ "I really don't know what you're talking about, Asuma," said Naruto with slight agitation in his voice, "How could anyone have something sealed inside of them when 1) what could be sealed inside them and 2) chakra is nearly impossible to use here as it takes even 20 times just to bring out and mold chakra?" Asuma remember how hard it was for Ino to use her family's justu and how the girl had collapsed from exhaustion right after. "Well…" said Asuma as he tried to save face, "It's just that Shikamaru had heard Amagi-san talking about it at the club during the school trip." Ryotaro quickly said, "Well you know how most people are here. They just love to yap about what another person had said, so I wouldn't be surprise if any of my son's friends were curious about that subject."

Asuma decided to buy the excuse as he and Shizune and Tonton left. Once the Konoha-nin were gone, Ryotaro turned to face Yu and Kurama as the two teens lost color to their faces. "What's this about going to a club during a school trip?" asked the detective gave the two an intimidating look. _So close,_ Kurama thought as he knew that there was no way Yu and Kurama were going to come out alive from Ryotaro's scolding, _We are seriously boned._

***Amagi Inn ***

Tsunade and a man with auburn hair in a short ponytail and a scar across the bridge of his nose wearing a dark blue suit were reminiscing some of their good memories of Naruto. "Hahahaha! I can't believe that the gaki was able to paint the Hokage Monument in broad daylight and was still able to outrun ANBU!" laughed Tsunade as she secretly wished that she had seen it herself, "I bet so many shinobi wanted to know your secret on catching Naruto, huh Iruka?" Iruka chuckled as he remembered all of his colleagues asking him how he was able to catch Naruto; he would have told them if they asked nicely and not call his favorite student a 'demon brat.' Yet now it was completely ironic that those same ninjas are missing Naruto after seeing how dull the village was without him…that and the very boy they were cruel to was the son of the Fourth Hokage.

At that moment, Shizune walked in with Tonton on a leash and sat next to Tsunade. "How was visiting Naruto?" asked Tsunade as she adjusted the skirt on her forest green suit. "Naruto, or should I say Kurama, is really enjoying his new life as he had so many people who care for him. He also has a cute little sister."

"Sister?" asked both Tsunade and Iruka with confusion on their faces. Shizune nodded and said, "Yeah, and you can tell that Nanako-chan really loves her Nii-san. It would be devastating if Naruto had to leave her and I'm sure that Naruto would be devastated if something awful happened to the girl." Iruka couldn't help but know that Naruto would be the perfect older brother to anyone as it was proven with how Konohamaru acted around the blond.

"Naruto is completely different than how he was before his banishment," said Shizune. She, Tsunade, and Iruka remembered how Naruto not only physically changed, but mentally as well. Gone was the little boy who wanted to prove himself to the world by becoming Hokage; now there was a young man who everyone could turn to and was loved for who he was.

"I also heard he has a nice girlfriend," said Iruka as he pulled out one of the photos that Kakashi had taken when he saw them at the Summer Festival, "and she's an idol." Tsunade studied the picture and saw that Naruto's girlfriend was wearing the very necklace that she had given to the boy. _You have to be pretty precious to Naruto if he gave you my necklace,_ Tsunade thought as she had a feeling that the girl would treat Naruto well.

In the lobby, Shikamaru was still thinking on what Yukiko had said about the Investigation Team being pseudo-jinchurikis. _I knew that Yukkiko wasn't lying as aside from her Persona powers, she's just a civilian,_ Shikamaru thought before a sense of dread crept up on him, _Does that mean that she and the others now have the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox? Or is it something else?_ The cloud gazer had never thought this much outside of battle or Shogi, but this topic was bothering as it involved Naruto and images of demonic empowered teens running rampant have disturbed him from time to time.

"Nara-san?" asked a voice from behind Shikamaru. The Konoha-nin turned to see Naoto behind him. "Oh hey Naoto," said Shikamaru as the young detective sat next to him, "What's up?" Naoto quickly looked around and said, "There is something I would like to ask you. It involves jinchurikis." Naoto took another quick look and asked, "Is it possible for a pseudo-jinchuriki to exist?" _Straight to the point,_ Shikamaru thought as he took a drink of cola. "Well Naoto," said Shikamaru as he set the can on the table, "pseudo-jinchurikis do exist as we have me one that contained the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The difference between jinchurikis and pseudo-jinchurikis is that jinchurikis possess the beast themselves while the pseudo-jinchurikis only have the chakra of the tailed beast." Nodding, Naoto asked, "So pseudo-jinchurikis are considerable weaker than that of a jinchuriki?" Shikamaru nodded and said, "As I have mentioned before, we only came across one, but what Yukiko said back at Escapade got me thinking more than ever now, but something else is bothering me."

"What would that be?" asked Naoto. "Well," said Shikamaru, "it should be impossible for anyone who already had their chakra coils develop to become jinchurikis as that much added chakra, even if it came from just a small nail or patch of fur from a tailed beast, could cause the chakra coils to overload and kill the person. That's why infants had been used as their chakra coils haven't been fully developed and in a way, the tailed beast's chakra becomes something like a second reservoir of chakra for the jinchuriki. So how would it be possible for teenagers, who never had access their chakra, become pseudo-jinchurikis?"

Naoto was now beginning to think that Yukiko's drunken rabbling was actually true. Could there be a world inside the TV and if so, could the power she had mentioned and what Shikamaru had said be something to worry about. _Even though I myself don't believe it yet,_ Naoto thought as different theories entered the detective's mind, _That would explain why the lab could never find the cause of death for the first two victims as the third, Kinshiro Morooka, was shown to have died from blunt force trauma._ "Thank you for answering my question, Nara-san," said Naoto as he got up from his seat, "I will see you some other time as I have some new theories to run." Shikamaru watched the detective leave the inn and thought, _Naoto is really pushing herself just to prove that women can be just as good as men. She reminds me of both Tenten AND Naruto…hell, she could be their daughter in a different timeline._

It was common knowledge between all the Konoha-nin, save for Lee, that Naoto Shirogane was a girl and respected Kakashi's wishes of keeping it a secret, so they all continued to act that Naoto was a boy. No one told Lee as he could never really keep a secret that wasn't his own as the taijutsu expert would just unknowingly blurt it out to the world. Still, some of the Konoha-nin wanted the young detective to be herself and stop lying to herself. _Funny,_ Shikamaru thought as he let out a sad sigh, _Naoto wants to fill in the shoes everyone has given her while Naruto wants to fill in the shoes that goes against what people expect. Naoto would easily be Naruto's equal in the opposite ways._

***Samegawa Floodplains***

The next day, the Investigation Team was heading towards school when they saw Naoto before them. "Hey Naoto-kun," said Yosuke before he noticed something, "Where's your uniform?" Naoto tipped his hat and said, "I have some important files about the case to go over, so I won't be able to attend school for a while. Now if you excuse me." Naoto walked by the Investigation Team before stopping and said, "This isn't a game for me as well." Kurama couldn't help but get the feeling that the detective was going to do something reckless and stupid.

After Naoto had left, Yosuke decided to address a serious situation on their hands: the Konoha-nin knowing about them being pseudo-jinchurikis. "Now that those jerks from Konoha know about our little secret," said Yosuke as he accusingly eyed Yukiko, "what are we going to do?" Everyone had heard about that when Yu and Kurama had told them about telling Ryotaro their little venture to a club during a school trip. "I'm pretty sure that those guys from Konoha will bother us more than usual now," said Kanji, "They will probably extend their offer for Kurama-senpai to go back with them to us in hopes of learning how we can use our Personas." _Either that or use us as breeding stocks,_ Kurama thought with disgust on his face as he could imagine so many shinobi trying to awaken their own Personas. "We can't let them win," said Rise as she wrapped her arms around Kuramas left arm, "So what if they know about our powers, we'll just turn down their offers; they can't kidnap us as people will know that we were missing and it would look bad on them." Everyone knew that Rise was right, but that still didn't erase all of their doubts of the Konoha-nin trying to win them over.

***Junes; Food Court***

After classes had ended, the Investigation Team decided to go for a run through the Shadow World. Even if the case was solved, it was still good exercise and the place was still messed up as ever. Right now, the group was waiting for Yu to return from wherever he was. "Hey Foxy," asked Rise with a sad look on her face, "I didn't…do anything really bad while I was out of it…did I?" Kurama really didn't want to tell Rise about how she flashed another boy. "Well you did have play the King's Game and-ow!" said Yosuke before he received a kick to the shin from Kurama.

"Kurama-kun, please be honest with me," said Rise with an even sadder face, "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Letting out a small sigh, Kurama regretfully relented and said, "You flashed Naoto and decided to smother him, thinking that he was me." Rise slumped over and said, "I can't believe I did that to another boy right in front of my Foxy-kun. I'm so so sorry Foxy, can you ever forgive me?" Kurama lifted Rise's face and gave his girlfriend a small kiss and said, "I have already forgiven you as it wasn't your fault, but next time, I'm choosing the place on our next date." Rise smiled as she dried her tears and quickly gave her boyfriend a quick kiss on the lips and said, "Of course, Foxy-kun." Yu arrived with Yukiko and asked, "Everyone ready?" With quick nods, everyone headed out of the food court and went towards the Shadow World.

What the group didn't know was that they were being watched from a small distance by a mysterious man. "How long will it take for you to get them out of the picture?" said an impatient voice. "Have patience my dear associate," said the man as he turned towards the voice, "All things will come in due time; those brats will be out of your hair and I will get my hands on the jinchuriki child. Do not worry, I will hold my end of the bargain soon enough." With an impatient huff, the sound of footsteps echoed away from the man. "Soon, Naruto, I will get what is rightfully mine," said the man as an evil smirk crawled from his face.

***Shopping District***

Nanako was walking through the shopping district when she saw Shizune and another woman with blond hair wearing a dark green suit. "I'm sure that Naruto will be happy to see you Lady Tsunade," said Shizune as she placed a comforting hand on the woman's back. "Are you really sure Shizune," said the woman as tears started to fall from her eyes, "I did all I could to stop them trying to kill him and even though I did succeed, the council still had the nerve to banish him behind my back. I know that Naruto must be mad at me, especially that I sent the Rookie 11 and their senseis to find him." Nanako carefully walked towards the women and asked, "Are you alright?" Both Shizune and Tsundae turn to see a concern Nanako in front of them. "Oh hey Nanako-chan," said Shizune with a gentle smile on her face, "I'm just helping Lady Tsunade with a problem of hers. It…it involves Kurama."

"You must be Baa-chan!" said Nanako with a smile on her face, "Nii-san told me all about you." Tsunade dried her tears a bit and said, "The gaki…told you about me? You must be Nanako, I'm Tsunade Senju." The trio then sat on a nearby bench as the three of them talked. "What brings you out here by yourself, Nanako?" asked Tsunade with motherly concern, "Shouldn't you be with your parents or you brother? I would like to meet them." Nanako looked at Tsunade and said, "Dad's at work and Nii-san's with his friends and Big Bro." Still curious, Tsunade asked, "What about your mother?"

"She died in an accident," said Nanako with sadness in her eyes. Both Tsunade and Shizune gasped as the girl had lost her mother at such a young age. "I'm really sorry about that Nanako," said Tsunade with a pang of regret in her heart, "You must be so alone at home." Nanako gently smiled and said, "It's alright, Kurama-nii always spends time with me at home, and now I have Big Bro and his friends so I'm never alone." Although glad that Nanako wasn't alone, Shizune couldn't help but ask, "But aren't you afraid of being home by yourself?"

"Well," said Nanako as she swung her feet back and forth, "when Mommy died, Nii-san always had me wait at school so he or Daddy would pick me up. But when Nii-san was thinking of getting a job, he gave me some rules to go by, like not answering the door for strangers and not talking to strangers." Nanako then looked at Shizune and continued, "Kurama-nii told me that I could trust you as you were his nee-chan, and I have seen Nii-san with Neji and Hanabi's father." Tsunade remembered that Naruto was alright with a few of his friends, but that was only because those few saw the boy for who he is. "Nii-san is always worried about me as I heard when he was talking to Big Bro," Nanako continued, "He told Big Bro about how he wanted to be Hokage before he became a part of my family, but Nii-san said that he was already the Hokage he dreamed about as there were lots of people who accept him and turn to him when they need help." Tsunade couldn't help but smile as Naruto had finally obtain the acceptance he always wanted. "Well Nanako," said Tsunade as she got up from her seat, "How about we get you home so your father and brothers won't be worried about you?" Nanako smiled as Shizune and Tsunade guided the little girl home to where she was safe and sound.

***Dojima Residence***

It was nightfall when Yu and Kurama had arrived with a couple of bags from Junes. "Thought Dad would be home," said Kurama as he set the bags on the table, "Oh well, it's my turn to make dinner anyway so why don't the two of you watch some TV and I'll make us something nice." Yu turned the television to the news where it showed Naoto being interviewed.

"So, what are your thoughts on how the kidnapping/murder case wrapped up?" asked the reporter. "Well, if you must know," said Naoto with a small, sly smile, "I believe that the case was closed rather hastily with the arrest of Mitsuo Kubo. True that Kubo was responsible for the murder of Kinshiro Morooka, a local high school teacher, but there was something that bothered me." Confused, the reporter then asked Naoto what Naoto was meaning. "It was proven by autopsy that Morooka was murdered through blunt force trauma, most likely from a bat or small pipe, but the two victims before him, Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi, had no cause of death behind them. The autopsy specialist at Inaba even said that if the victims had died from some sort of poisoning, there would be evidence from within the body." _What the hell is Naoto thinking!?_ Kurama thought as he listened in, _That brat's going to put Dad out of a job just because of his damn pride as a detective!_ "But…" asked the reporter with confusion on his face, "if that's true, then does that mean that Mitsuo Kubo isn't responsible for the first two kidnappings and deaths?" Naoto nodded and said, "That is my theory as it is proven that Kubo was nowhere near the Amagi Inn when Yamano-san had arrived, thus discrediting Kubo's connection with her. As for Konishi-san, I have been told that Kubo has been seen at the gates of Yasogami High, but from what I have been told; Kubo was there to take on a…local challenge. Overall, Kubo was just a copycat killer and the real culprit is possibly still out there, but that is just a theory."

"Dinner's ready," said Kurama as he swiftly placed three bowls of rice and curry on the table and swiped the remote from Yu. "Enough of this gloomy nonsense; they caught the bad guy, threw him behind bars, end of story." Kurama changed the channel to a random channel to show his favorite show, Dude vs. Nature, and said, "Now this is a more exciting show; nothing like seeing a guy using all his wits and knowledge to survive near-impossible situations!" Yu and Nanako didn't want to argue as Kurama was right…sort of.

After Nanako had gone to bed, Yu and Kurama were watching some late night television before Yu decided to speak up. "You don't think Naoto was right about Kubo, do you?" asked Yu with slight concern in his voice as he shut off the television. Kurama quickly looked around and let out a sigh. "I want to say that the brat's a liar, but not when Fuzzball has some doubts. Also, if you saw a guy walk by a wall of a bath house and there just happens to be a hole there, can you take back what you've done if you falsely accuse him of voyeurism without proof? With your pride on the line, would you admit that you made a horrible mistake after the damage has already been done?" Yu did see the logic in what Kurama said, but he still had his doubts.

"Good Evening, everyone," said Naoto's voice from the television. Yu and Kurama looked at the screen as the Midnight Channel played its little episode as one thought entered their minds: it's not over…

**Now that Naoto has shown that the case has not been solved, what is going to happen? Tsunade will meet Kurama/Naruto face to face soon, but I'm working on that idea at the moment. Don't forget to review as it is welcomed.**

**Ja Ne**


	27. Chapter 26

**This is Ryu Kotei saying sorry about not updating in a while as I've been busy working on current Fanfics, future chapters, a few possible new stories, and real life. It may take some time with updates in the future, but I will not forget them as I may try to revise them or come up with new ideas...or face that dreaded writer's block.**

**On a final note: I do not own Naruto or the Persona series.**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"Nanako..."_ thought/mind speak

**"ALERT!" **demon/Shadow/Persona speak

Chapter 26: To Finding Heart and Dark Pain

***Junes; Food Court***

"I can't believe it," said Yosuke as he had his face in his hands, "we honestly thought we were done and Naoto just had to do that." No one could have imagined that a _smart_ detective like Naoto Shirogane, the well-known Detective Prince, would do something stupid as using himself as bait. "Well," said Kurama as he took a bit out of the burger, "that brat is the kind of person who refuses to just back down, no matter what others say. I was like that before my banishment; I refused to listen to those who doubted me and look at what I've done: I defeated a prodigy who could put a bull down with just a few jabs and a powerful bijuu."

"So what are we waiting for," said Kanji as he slammed his hands on the table in frustration, "Let's just go save Naoto and get this damn case over with!" Yukiko and Chie nodded as Rise said, "Of course we're going to save him…but do we know anything about Naoto-kun?" This stumped the team as they didn't know much about Naoto aside from his stubbornness and tenacity, although Kanji on the other hand just played clueless. "We'll have to split up," said Yu as everyone nodded and went into different teams, with Kanji going solo, and headed off to find out more about the mysterious Naoto Shirogane.

***Amagi Inn ***

"Why are we here Foxy?" asked Rise with slight concern as she and Kurama were open for those of the Konoha-nin to ambush them in hopes on getting Naruto back. "I've known that whenever Naoto is around us, he always refers to me as Naruto-senpai and if I recall correctly," said Kurama as he scanned the lobby for someone that knew the detective, "Naoto was never there when Kurama confessed that he was once someone else. So Naoto had to have heard about me from our fellow students, or…" Rise thought for a moment before she relised what her boyfriend was saying and said, "He learned it from the Konoha-nin as they're trying to have him convince you to go back with them." A playful smirk from Kurama showed rise that she was right and the two looked around the inn until a voice drew out their attention.

"You must be Rise Kujikawa and Kurama Dojima," said the voice as the two in question turned to see who called out to them. Rise was unsure of the man before them until she saw Kurama's stunned face and immediately knew that this man was from his past. "I-I-Iruka…" asked Kurama as he saw his old teacher and best friend, "…s-s-sensei?" Iruka smiled at the stunned look on his former student and said, "Yes Naruto…it is me."

***Samegawa Floodplains***

Kanji was standing on the bank and looked at the river before him in deep thought. **"What is the matter, Kanji-san?"** asked Rokuten Maoh as he spoke from the river's reflection. Letting out a sigh, Kanji thought, _You should know as you are a part of me: I lied to Senpai about finding anything when in reality, I know the very thing that we can use to find Naoto but…_ Rokuten knew how Kanji was feeling as it was one of Kanji's rules: never break a promise and secret are supposed to be secrets. Rokuten quickly vanished as the sound of muffled footstep echoed from behind Kanji, making the teen turn around to see Kakashi.

"Something on your mind?" asked Kakashi, "Or are you just lost on the road of life?" Kanji let a slight chill run through his body and said, "'s nothing you should be worried about; me 'n my friends are looking for Naoto. I should be asking you why you're here." Kakashi held his hands up in gesture that Kanji had nothing to worry about, allowing the teen to calm down. "You can cut the tough guy act," said Kakashi as he picked up a small stone and skipped it down the river, "we all know that you made those dolls at your family's shop and you care deeply about Naoto."

"Wha…who told you about that!?" said a flustered Kanji as he tried to act tough and threatening. "You're asking that to a ninja," Kakashi countered as he adjusted the scarf he wore to cover his face, "but even so, one doesn't have to be an expert assassin to see that you stand proudly before the dolls you have made before you leave your shop and how you act flustered around Naoto. You have those confused feelings about him." Kanji sighed as he knew he was defeat before he decided to get the last laugh and said, "At least I didn't shove my fingers up a person's ass or played favorites with students." Kanji smirked as he saw Kakashi flinch from the comment and knew that Kurama was right about the blackmail material. "Well," said Kakashi as he turned to head out, "I have to be going, but remember this Kanji, since you care about your friends…" Kanji watched Kakashi face him and lower the scarf to reveal his face to the teen. "Those who break the rules are trash," said Kakashi as he fixed his scarf to cover his face, "those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."

Kanji watched the Konoha-nin leave as what he heard echoed in his skull. _Sounds like something Dad would say,_ Kanji thought as he stared at the river before he pulled out his cellphone, _Sorry Naoto, but if I didn't do this…I don't think I could ever forgive myself or face my old man's ghost._ Kanji dialed Yu's number and waited for his senpai to answer. "Hey Kanji," said Yu's voice over the phone, "I was about to call everyone as I found something we could find Naoto with." Kanji chuckled and said, "Guess I'm not the only one. See ya at the food court."

The teen ended the call and ran off toward Junes, not knowing that he was being watched from afar by a man in a yukata with fiery red hair. "I am so proud of you," said the man as he slowly faded away with a smile on his face, "I will always be proud of you…my son." Jericho Tatsumi watched his son run off to save a person that was close to him with pride in his heart as the spirit went back to the life after, knowing that his son was doing alright and was in safe and trusted hands.

***Amagi Inn***

Rise smiled at the sight of Naruto being reunited with an old friend that he always looked up to. Naruto was hugging Iruka as it has been too long since his saw the man he could consider his older brother. "I've missed you so much Iruka-sensei," said Naruto as he ignored his make-up smearing as Iruka returned the hug. "I've missed you too, Naruto," said Iruka as he gently let go of his favorite student. Rise looked at the scene with joy as she saw two very close friends were able to see each other after so long.

After calming down, Naruto let go of Iruka and quickly apologized about the make-up being smeared on Iruka's shirt. "It's alright, Naruto," said Iruka as he wiped the smudge off and then looked at Rise, "You must be Rise Kujikawa, I'm Iruka Umino." Before Rise could respond, she was pushed away by Sakura and Ino who then quickly tackled Naruto to the ground. "Oh Naruto-kun! We're so glad that you have paid us a visit and have forgiven us!" said Sakura as Ino said, "We can now take you back to Konoha where you really belong. Now let's get out of this dangerous Hicktown. You don't need that skank hanging around you and that little rotten brat you call a sister holding you back."

"BACK OFF!" shouted Naruto as he shoved the two girls off of him and getting to his feet, "When will the two of you brats get it! I'm not leaving Inaba as I belong here. If you keep thinking that I should be surrounded by women who care nothing about me instead of the girl who truly loves me then I have two words for you…Get…Bent!" Iruka sighed in disappointment at Sakura's and Ino's behavior and before he could apologize, Naruto was heading towards the door. Tsunade had arrived as Naruto didn't even notice her, but she was disturbed by the threatening aura around him. Unfortunately she wasn't alone…

"Nii-san…" said Nanako with her heart broken as she watched her brother walk by her without noticing her. "Why did the two of you do that!?" shouted Iruka with his voice laced in anger, "You two should be ashamed of yourselves!" Rise looked and saw that Nanako was about ready to cry from what Sakura and Ino had said. "Rise-chan…" asked Nanako as she tried to hold her tears back, "am I…a rotten brat?" Rise walked towards the little girl, wrapped her in a loving hug and said, "No Nanako-chan. You are a very sweet little girl who cares deeply about her brother and there will be nothing that will change that. Your brother and I truly care deeply about you and we would never do anything to hurt you."

Nanako's soft crying silenced the argument as Iruka froze at what he saw. Sakura and Ino saw Nanako hugging Rise and then saw Lady Tsunade standing next to them with anger on her face. "L-L-Lady Tsunade," said Sakura as she lost color to her face, "H-H-How are you doing?" Tsunade walked towards the two girls and said, "I was doing alright and I was about to see if Kurama was here so I could ask him if I could watch little Nanako-chan while he was at work; at least until the two of you had to BREAK HIS LITTLE SISTER'S HEART!"

"If we had known you were coming by with Nanako, we wouldn't have said that," said Ino as she was paralyzed with fear. "I don't want your excuses!" shouted Tsunade before she turned towards Sakura, "As for you Sakura…you are no longer my apprentice from here on out, I'm revoking your apprenticeship." Sakura was about to protest, but a punch to the stomach from Tsunade caused her to fall to the floor. "Lady Tsunade…" asked Sakura as she saw Ino joining her on the floor after receiving her own punch, "…why?" Tsunade was now towering over the two fallen girls and said, "I've taught you better than that, Haruno. I thought I knocked all of that fan girl bullshit out of you…guess I was wrong. Umino!" At that moment, Iruka quickly stood at attention as Tsunade said, "Take these two pieces of scum to my room…I'm going to have a talk with them later." Without another word, Iruka grabbed Sakura and Ino and dragged them away so that they can wait for their ultimate demise.

After watching Iruka leave, Tsunade then turned to see Rise sitting in one of the seat with Nanako still hugging her. "I am deeply sorry for how those two acted," said Tsunade as she gently walked towards the two girls and taking a seat next to Rise, "I seriously thought I taught those two better. Even after seeing his Shadow and hearing its speech about the pain Naruto had felt, one would think those two would be more understanding. Guess I was wrong on both accounts. I'm sorry." Rise looked at the woman before her as Nanako quickly hugged the woman with tears falling from her face. "Don't worry Rise," said Tsunade as she gently rubbed Nanako's back motherly, "I deeply care about Naruto and seeing how Sakura and Ino acted towards those that my little gaki care about with all his heart, he deserves all the happiness and love that this place had given him."

"Thank you," said Rise as she saw that Nanako had fallen asleep in Tsunade's arms, "I'm Rise Kujikawa…I've known Foxy-kun for a good while and we've been a couple for quite a while. I will always love him with all of my heart and Nanako-chan is not only precious to Kurama, but to me and to the others as well." Tsunade smiled and saw a familiar piece of jewelry around Rise's neck. "It's nice to finally meet Naruto's girlfriend in person," said Tsunade with a gentle smile, "I'm Tsunade Senju, the previous owner of that necklace your wearing, and I would like you to keep the necklace as Naruto sees you as someone who is very close to him. Please take care of my little gaki."

At that moment, Naruto walked in after calming down and nearly biting Yosuke's head off to see Rise with Tsunade as Nanako was sitting on the slug sannin's lap with her head resting on Tsunade's bosom. "Hey Tofu Hime…Baa-chan," said Naruto as walked towards them, "I'm sorry about storming off like that." Tsunade looked at the former blond and said, "You have nothing to apologize for gaki," said Tsunade as she gently nudged Nanako awake, "To be honest, I only told them to find you and report back on how you were doing. I never told them to try and bring you back as you deserve to be happy with your new life. I have missed you, but I love you enough to let you go and live out the life you truly deserve."

"Kurama-nii?" asked Nanako as she awoke to see her brother standing before her, "Do you think I'm a rotten brat?" Naruto gently picked up Nanako into a warm, loving hug and said, "There is no way that you will ever be a rotten brat to me. I may pick at you, but you will always be my cute baby sister that I love so much. Never think that you will never be loved as you will always be the world to me with your smile and your laughter." Nanako smiled as Rise and Tsunade joined in on the hug with warmth and love as she knew that her brother will never stop loving her.

After the moment was over, Naruto pulled out his cell phone and called Ryotaro. "Dojima speaking," said Ryotaro's voice from the phone, "Kurama? Is something wrong?" Naruto looked at Nanako and spoke in the phone, "Nothing, I was calling to ask you if it's alright if an old friend watched Nanako while I'm away and you're busy with some of those cases." There was a little bit of silence before Ryotaro said, "Who is it?" Naruto chuckled and said, "Tsunade Senju." Immediately, Naruto smiled and thanked his father before cutting of the connection and said, "Well Tofu Hime, let's get Nanako and Tsunade to my house. Tsunade's going to watch after Nanako while we're away." Tsunade smiled as she followed Naruto, Rise, and Nanako towards the Dojima Residence, glad that the boy she sees as a little brother has finally got what he always wanted: a family that loved him and all the happiness he could ever get.

***Junes; Food Court***

The Investigation Team was at their usual spot at Junes when Kurama and Rise arrived. "There you guys are," said an annoyed Yosuke, "What took ya so long?"

"We were taking Nanako home along with her babysitter," said Rise as she got confused looks from the others. "You got someone to watch Nanako?" asked Yu with slight shock. "Yeah," said Kurama, "Baa-chan is going to watch Imouto while we're away. It was nice seeing Tsunade after all those years away from Konoha." This got a panicked look from everyone but Rise. "Someone from Konoha is looking after Nanako-chan!?" said Chie, "Are you nuts!? She could be like Sakura and Ino!?" Kurama let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Tsunade-baa-chan isn't like those two as she understands how I want to be free from some of those ignorant and self-centered bastards from Konoha. I fully trust her as I'm someone precious to her and she really cares about both me and Nanako. I'm sure that Imouto could use someone as motherly as Tsunade to help her and make her feel that motherly love." None of the others could argue as the little girl could use someone to look to as a mother since Chisato had died. "If Tsunade's alright in your book," said Yu with a small smile, "she alright in mine." Everyone then headed towards the Shadow World, knowing that Nanako was in safe hands.

***Shadow World; Entrance***

Everyone gathered around Rise as she summoned her new Persona, Kanzeon, and began searching. "Alright, what do we have on Naoto-kun?" Rise asked as Yu and Kanji stepped forward. "I learned that Naoto is at time obsessive when it comes to her job and is often seen by other officers, Uncle included, as childish," said Yu in a clam, yet serious manner, "What about you, Kanji? What do you have on Naoto?" Kanji looked at everyone in a slight threatening manner and said, "What I'm about to say is a secret that can never, EVER, leave this group so you better keep yer yaps shut!" After seeing everyone's expressions, Kanji then let out a sigh and said, "Naoto told me a personal secret of his after I told him a couple of mine. Naoto Shirogane's secret is that he wears women's underwear as his skin can be sensitive at times."

Silence echoed through the area before the sound of laughter broke the eerie silence. "BWAHAHAHAHA! Are you seriously saying that Naoto, THE Detective Prince, wears women's underwear?" said Yosuke as he rolled around in laughter before Chie's and Kanji's threatening glares caused him to go quiet. "You guys better not say anything about this," said Kanji, "I was told that those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are lower that trash." Everyone understood the surprising wisdom from Kanji as the teen before them cared for the detective.

"Alright, I found him," said Rise with confidence, "Let go save Kanji-kun's boyfriend!" Everyone followed Rise while Kanji tried to hide both his blush and his frustration at what Rise had said.

***Shadow World; Secret Laboratory***

Everyone had arrived at the area that had a small building with a phoenix emblem on the side with radar dishes on top of the building in the middle of the forest. "So this is Naoto's dungeon," said Kurama as he studied the area, "Makes me think of something from the Elemental Nations or from Featherman R." Everyone entered the building and was about to journey deeper when the siren began blaring. **"ALERT! ALERT!"** said the intercom on the walls, **"INTRUDERS DETECTED! THIS IS A CODE YELLOW ALERT! ALL INTRUDERS ARE REQUIRED TO LEAVE OR IMMEDIATE ACTION WILL BE TAKEN!"** Everyone rushed forward as Shadows charged towards them with killing intentions. "Time to crash this party Inari," said Kurama as a golden fox wearing magatama beads with a gourd-shaped bottle hanging on its neck and a large white bag rested on its back, "Maragion!" Inari took a swig from the bottle before spitting out a wave of fire towards the Shadows, setting a few of them on fire. "Amaterasu!" said Yukiko as she summoned her Persona, a bright light in the form of a woman with metal surrounding her form where Konohana-Sakuya's flowers once were, "Follow Inari's attack with Maragidyne!" Amaterasu summoned a large fireball and launched it towards the Shadows, destroying them in a giant blast of heat and flames.

"Do that again," said Kurama as he looked at the smoldering spot where the Shadows were, "I think you forgot to overcook them." Everyone laughed as they continued through the dungeon before Yosuke spoke up. "Hey Kurama," asked Yosuke as he turn towards the person in question, "If your Persona is the god of grain and uses grain alcohol for its fire attacks, does that make you an alcoholic?" Kurama chuckled and said, "Well, I have tried alcohol, but it tasted awful. I don't know how anyone could acquire a taste for something that's really tart." Everyone, except for Teddie, Yu, Rise, and Yukiko, chuckled awkwardly as memories of the field trip appeared in their minds.

The group then entered a room to see it completely empty aside from the computers that occupied the walls. "Okay," said Yu as he stared at the consoles, "no one touch anything in here; last thing we want to do is accidentally summoning anymore Shadows." The group was about to go to the next floor when the sound of multiple buttons being pressed caused them to turn to see Teddie messing with the computers. "TEDDIE!" shouted everyone as a clawed appeared from the ceiling and grabbed Kurama. "Kurama-kun!" said Rise as she tried to pry her boyfriend out of the claw before being knocked back. "Let go dammit!" said Kurama as the claw retracted into the ceiling, taking him into a different location and away from the group. Everyone looked at Teddie with evil looks as the bear looked around sheepishly and said, "Oops."

***With Naoto***

Naoto continued to struggle against the metal cuffs on her wrist and ankles when the ceiling above her opened to reveal a claw with someone in its grip: Naruto. The claw slammed Naruto into a table as the same metal cuffs locked him in place. "Get back here dammit," shouted Naruto as he struggled in his bonds, "I'm not through with you!" Naruto continued to struggle until Naoto said, "I'm sorry Naruto-senpai, but whoever is behind this clearly has no intentions of letting either of us go." _Considering that YOU created this place,_ Naruto thought as he struggled with one of the cuffs,_ I wouldn't be surprised if you Shadow is some creep who wants to tear people apart just to learn what makes them tick…just like Orochimaru._

"These cuffs are completely reinforced," said Naoto with a look of defeat on his face, "I doubt you could break them through pure raw strength and adrenaline. Hatake-san has told me about how your chakra was seal, so I doubt you could even tap into the Fox's chakra." Naruto stopped struggling and gave the detective a scowl. "So you were working with them," said Naruto with annoyance, "I'm even guessing that they were trying to have you convince me to leave Inaba, my real home, and head back to Konoha, a place that only accepted me if I didn't hurt their precious Uchiha. I'm guessing you were wearing a wire when we were talking sometime before the field trip; I knew your shirt felt funny."

Naoto blushed as 1) she was caught and scolded herself for being sloppy and 2) she was wondering if Naruto had discovered her secret. "I was wearing a wire that day but…" said Naoto as guilt laced his voice, "I had never expected such an individual such as yourself would have such a life." Naruto looked at the detective and said, "I really don't blame you for not knowing, but sometimes there are truths that should never be uncovered. Hell, most of the school never thought I was the kind of person to actually pull of suicide attempts at the age of 10."

The door before the two trapped teens opened to reveal another Naoto. This Naoto wore the same clothing as the Naoto beside him was wearing along with a lab coat that was obviously too large for the small detective. _I hope that the others get here soon,_ Naruto thought to himself as Shadow Naoto looked at him with a sadistic look in the menacing yellow eyes, _or I'm going to become part of this Shadow's experiment!_

**"I am truly sorry that the operation must be postponed,"** said Shadow Naoto in a dark, mature voice as he rolled up his sleeves before typing in some keys on the nearby computer, **"There are some intruders who have disapproved of what I have planned."** The screen lit up as a radar dish appeared before Naruto and the Shadow let out a deep hum of interest. **"You have the same energy readings as the group of intruders you were with, but your energy is at a much more different level that of your allies,"** said Shadow Naoto as a dark smile crept on its face, **"This could prove useful for the operation."** Naruto's skin crawled at the thoughts that the Shadow injected into his mind…him being stabbed by multiple needles and harvested for the source of this power.

After pressing more keys on the computer, Shadow Naoto let the sleeves of his lab coat fall over his hands as he gripped the back of the radar to move it closer to the former shinobi. "W-W-What are you going to do?" asked Naruto as he tried to put on a brave face when in reality he was half way to freaking out violently. **"Don't be such a baby,"** scolded Shadow Naoto as disgust grew on its face, **"All I'm doing is taking a sample of your energy and inject it into my patient."** The monitor on the walls revealed recorded battles of Naruto and Inari against the Shadows, some showed where Naruto took some nasty hits and his wounds healing themselves or jumping back up from definite knockouts within seconds. "You should know that I've taken such abuse in the first twelve years of my life," said Naruto with a confident smirk, "I'm a fast healer and I've had worst concussions." That only whetted the Shadow's appetite as the machine started to hum. **"That is why I must have that power,"** said Shadow Naoto with a sickly child-like voice, **"Your power could allow the body to become much stronger than it should normally be!"**

Shadow Naoto then undone the buttons of Naruto's school uniform to expose his upper body. The Shadow rolled up a sleeve and ran a hand over Naruto's chiseled abs and let a shiver escaped its body. **"You have the ideal body to use as a reference,"** said Shadow Naoto with the same sickly innocent voice from earlier, **"Even I can't help but give in to my birth instincts, and that was just from the upper body."** Both Naruto and the real Naoto blush a bright red from the innuendo as the Shadow then moved towards Naruto's scar. **"This scar of yours…"** said Shadow Naoto as it returned to the mature voice and attitude, **"Yes…I think I may recreate it as it shows how much stronger your body is compared to my original, frail body. I would have even loved to examine your mind and add what allows you to possess such mental strength to fight against the harsh reality of the world around us…but I guess we cannot have everything now can we Senpai?"**

Shadow Naoto stepped away as Naruto felt a weird sensation on his body. Naruto looked down to see the seal that held Fox Kurama in his body appear on his stomach as a mixture of blue and red energy oozed out of it. Fear enveloped him as he felt his chakra being extracted from his body with the feeling of every inch of his skin was being slowly and painfully peeled off his body. The real Naoto couldn't help but watch in horror as the former shinobi let out a blood curdling scream as more of the red and blue substance continued to be absorbs into the radar. **"Oh please calm down,"** scolded Shadow Naoto, unfazed by the chilling scream, **"I'm not killing you as I could need more of this energy in the future! In the meantime, grow up!"**

The machine absorbed the last of the energy it needed before it moved towards the real Naoto. _Kurama…Kurama?_ Naruto thought fearfully and groggily as he tried to contact the demon fox. **"Don't worry Kit,"** said Fox Kurama from inside Naruto's mind, **"I'm still here and you're still alive as your body is starting to go into shock from having a fraction of both mine and your chakra being extracted. That Shadow took the same amount of chakra that your friends had absorbed that day."** _And…_ Naruto thought as he had to fight the urge to blackout, _how much would that be?_ Naruto's mind went silent before Fox Kurama said, **"It would be the equivalent only one of my tails."** Naruto had lost the battle against his body as he blacked out as Naoto's scream echoed throughout the room.

**There's the first part of Naoto's dungeon as both Naruto/Kurama and Naoto have now been captured. What will happen as Naoto now also have a fraction of Naruto's power as she becomes a psuedo-jinchuriki? Don't forget to review as it is welcomed.**

**Ja Ne**


	28. Chapter 27

**Ryu Kotei here giving you another chapter of Mask of the Fox after a long while of not updating. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Naruto or the Persona series.**

"Persona!" normal speech

**"I am a Shadow..."** demon/Shadow/Persona speech

_"This isn't real..."_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 27: Granny Powerhouse and Dr. Techno

***Marukyu; Rise's Room***

Rise laid in her bed with the necklace Kurama had given her in her hands and tears running down her face. After Kurama was taken, the Investigation Teams battles had slowly gone downhill and it wasn't until fighting a giant robot Shadow that the team was forced to retreat. But when she felt Kurama's unique energy begin to fade away, Rise went into such a panic that it took a combined effort of Kanji, Yosuke, Chie and Yu all in their Persona forms just to hold her back as she had somehow tapped into a dark and ominous power. Rise had lost consciousness as the group had to knock her out and was told of a dark reality of their jinchuriki powers: their Shadows could take control of them through their darkest emotions such as fear and deep anger.

When she regained consciousness, Rise was told by Chie and Yukiko that her skin was becoming multicolored like how her Shadow's was. While she was glad that she didn't hurt anyone too badly, Rise was still reeling from having to leave Kurama behind in order to regroup with the last memory of her boyfriend was his fading energy. Despite Yu and the other's convincing that Kurama was going to be okay, Rise still had the thought of seeing her dead boyfriend in a horrific fashion on some telephone pole or TV antenna.

"Kurama-kun," said Rise as she began to fall asleep from being drained of energy from her near Shadowfication, as they decided to call the little incident, and crying, "please be safe…"

***Tatsumi Textiles; Kanji's Room***

Kanji sat at his desk with his head in his hands as he felt more drained than ever. The difficult fights with Shadows after Kurama was taken, having to retreat after defeating that giant Shadow, Rise's near Shadowfication, it was all so much. "Senpai, Naoto," said Kanji as his thought were turned towards the two still trapped inside the TV. Kanji knew that Naoto would still be safe…well somewhat safe until it rains real heavy again, but Kurama…that was another story. He wanted to believe that Kurama was still alright, but what Rise had gone through made him think otherwise. The burn marks on his stomach was enough proof to remind him of the dark reality of the group's jinchuriki powers. _I can only imagine how the rest of us will be if we Shadowfy?_ Kanji asked himself as he shivered from fear, _Not pretty._

Kanji didn't have to be a genius to know that out of everyone in the Investigation Team, he, Rise, and possibly Yu were being eaten by the guilt of not doing anything to help Kurama. Rise's pain was completely obvious. Kanji had tried to hide it, but he couldn't mentally hide being scared shitless of losing both his role model and someone he cared for. Yu hid his pain well…but even Kanji could see that Yu was crumpling inside. Unfortunately, Yu had no choice but to hide his pain to keep moral…or whatever was left of it…up.

Kanji turned off the lights, carefully lay down in his bed to avoid agitating his burn, and silently prayed for a peaceful night.

***Dojima Residence; Kitchen***

Yu sat at the table with Ryotaro and Tsunade trying to comfort him about his decision to leave Kurama in the Shadow World. They were able to convince Nanako that Kurama was staying at the Amagi Inn and was going to be really busy. It really hurt Yu to see Nanako's distant face as she really cared for her older brother.

"Yu," said Tsunade as she placed a hand on the teen's shoulder after Nanako had gone to bed, "I know that you did all that you could and the decision to regroup and leave Naruto behind was indeed a difficult decision." The woman to a sip of the can of beer Ryotaro had given her and said, "I know how heavy the responsibilities of being a leader can be; I've sent teams with people who were just as young as you and your friends on missions that resulted in their deaths. I've silently shed tears for not just their families, but for those who've lost their lives because of the ninja's short lifestyle. A leader has to be strong for their people and showing emotions of loss truly shows our true strength."

"But I left him behind when he needed us!" said Yu as he fought his tears, "How could I ignore that and how Rise acted when she told us of Kurama's fading energy?" Ryotaro ran a hand through his hair as he watched his nephew tear himself apart on the inside. Both adults were shocked about the near Shadowfication that Rise had gone through as such power could erupt through those emotions. "Get a grip of yourself!" Tsunade quietly yelled, snapping Yu out of his funk, "You said that you have until the next time it rained to save them; so you still have about three or four days, five at max, to get them out of there! But from what you said about those Shadows, you're going to need help." Yu looked at Tsunade with widened eyes at what the woman was insinuating.

"I won't let you go in and help us," said Yu before he felt a chilling aura from the woman before him, making him relent. "I WILL help you get Naoto and Kurama out of there, whether you like it or not!" said Tsunade as she looked Yu in the eyes, "Naruto is just like how Nanako is to me; the gaki is like a little brother to me and I hold him close to my heart. Nothing, not even the strongest Shadows that world could ever throw at me, will my wrath for hurting my baby brother!" Yu couldn't help but feel better from Tsunade's words as Yu sort of had the same connection towards his adoptive cousin.

"Alright Tsunade," said Yu with a small, confidant smile, "We better get our rest, because we are jumping in their tomorrow." Tsunade smiled as she watched Yu head up the stairs before Ryotaro spoke up. "Those Shadows don't throw any punches," said Ryotaro as the slug princess turned to face him, "I've witnessed the power of those things. I'm pretty sure that whatever happens to Shirogane's Shadow will give everyone trouble; Naruto's did, but then again, my son's the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Be careful." Tsunade nodded with fire in her eyes, proving her determination to help her little gaki.

***Amagi Inn***

Sasuke was completely steamed at what Ino and Sakura had the gall to say. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THE TWO OF YOU WOULD DO THAT!" Sasuke shouted as he paced back and forth in from of Ino and Sakura, "You know how much Naruto cares about Nanako and to do that!?" The two girls flinched at Sasuke's tone as the Uchiha scolded them. "Sasuke," pleaded Sakura as Tsunade's scolding had broken the girl, "can't you see what this place is doing to Naruto? He's doesn't know how much pain he's in!"

"Have you forgotten about the time where we helped Yu and his friends save Naruto?" asked Shikamaru as he was just as angry, "Those voices from the sewer plant? What about what his Shadow had said about Naruto knowing nothing _but_ pain and loneliness!?" Hinata gave both Ino and Sakura slaps to the faces and said, "I have seen Naruto-kun at his worst and he still greets the day with that phony smile. I would always pray to Kami that Naruto would one day never have hide behind that smile and have a REAL smile on his face. If we take Kurama back to Konoha with us, he WILL be miserable, and if the two of you think that you can provide him the happiness he need, then the two are nothing but lowlife skanks! You give real girls like Rise-chan a bad name and the two of you should be ashamed of your actions…especially you, Sakura _Haruno!_"

Sakura flinched again as her surname was brought up with such venom that even cobras would become sick from it. "Hinata is right," said Sasuke as he glared at the two girls, "I…I drove Naruto away instead of letting him in. I let him get close to me so I could obtain the next stage of the Sharingan because it would call for me to kill my closest friend…" Sasuke's body shook as tears began to roll down his face at the memories of Naruto's dark reality. "But I then went through Naruto's real life," said Sasuke as tears fell to the floor, "the nightmarish reality about Naruto that so few know about; deplorable living conditions, poisoned meals, the beatings and having very little medical attention unless the Hokage is there…you two BITCHES never knew the hellish nightmare that the one I believe to be my own twin brother had to go through! I blame my accursed eyes that the village loves so much for all the crap that my brother, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki, has even gotten…I'm starting to despise the name Uchiha…as much as I despise the name of Haruno now."

Sasuke ran out of the room as he nearly knocked down Mrs. Amagi on his way out. Sakura and Ino now hung their heads in shame as they realized that neither of them had gone through that dark life of their once blond friend. _Are we really that shallow that we would deprive a little girl who desperately needs her older brother just so we could be happy?_ Sakura and Ino thought as the room became deathly silent as the others left to let the two girls stew in their guilt.

***Junes; Food Court***

The next day had the Investigation Team, save for Rise and Yu, waiting at the food court in silence. Chie and Teddie had arrived with everyone's drinks as Rise had arrived. "How are you feeling Rise-chan?" asked Yukiko as Rise took a seat across from her. "Alright I guess," said Rise as she rested her head on her knuckles as he drew circles on the table with her finger. Chie saw the distant look on the idol's face and knew that the pain was still eating at the girl. "Don't worry Rise," said Kanji as he saw Yu and Tsunade appear, "I have a feeling that we will rescue both Naoto AND Kurama-senpai." Everyone turned to see Yu and Tsunade behind them, both of them with a look that showed great courage as Yu said, "Let's go everyone. We have friends to save."

***Shadow World; Secret Base Entrance***

The Investigation Team, plus Tsunade, arrived at the entrance and were about to enter when the slug sannin removed the jacket of her suit to reveal the shirt underneath that held her well-endowed body. Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji couldn't help but blush at the sight while Chie and Yukiko wrapped their arms around their own bodies. "Wow, Tsunade," said Rise with awe at the sight before her, "I bet all the guys run after you." Chie looked at Yosuke and saw that her boyfriend's sight was frozen at the woman. "Yosuke!" said Chie as she gave her boyfriend a kick to the jewels, "Your girlfriend is right HERE!" Tsunade laughed as she approached Chie and the fallen Yosuke and said, "You two remind me of Jiraiya and myself when we were at that age and when Naruto was banished."

"What do you mean?" asked Chie as Yosuke writhed in pain as he held his pain. "Well," said Tsunade as nostalgia appeared on her face, "when I caught Jiraiya peeping on me at the hot springs, I literally almost killed him." All the guys paled at that possibility and prayed that they would never be in such a situation. "But it wasn't until sometime after Naruto's banishment did I find my feelings for the perv," said Tsunade as she smiled at the sad memory, "I was ironic that it was at the hot springs that he helped me cope with the loss of Naruto. He had convinced the owners to hold a mixed bathing day for just us two and he used that transparency jutsu he invented to talk to me. I was about to kill him when he up and hugged me, telling me to let go of the pain from Naruto's banishment." A lone tear fell from the woman's face from behind her glasses as she gently laughed at that memory. "We spent the whole time in the baths talking about our little gaki and it was actually comforting that Jiraiya had planned all of that just for me," said Tsunade as she removed the tear, "but of course, I told him that if he ever did something like that to me again, I will kill him…and that was before he died in battle."

Yosuke got to his feet as he saw Tsunade look at both him and Chie with a motherly smile. "You two better be proud of what you have," said the sannin as she placed both hands on the couple's shoulders, "I know that there will be problems, but always remember the love that you two share between each other." Yu and Yukiko looked at each other and went into as kiss and Chie and Yosuke looked at each other before going into a kiss of their own. Kanji looked at both couples as they ended their kisses as a thought of him and Naoto possibly doing something like that. _But will it be like that?_ Kanji asked himself he still had those unresolved feelings for the detective as he and the others entered the base.

***With Kurama and Naoto***

Kurama woke up as he still felt that bit of pain from hours ago and saw Naoto out cold on the table next to him. _Son of a bitch that hurts!_ Kurama thought as the memory of having a small amount of his unused chakra being extracted from him. "Naoto," said Kurama as he tried to wake the detective, "Naoto, wake up!" Naoto's breathing showed Kurama that he was still alive. Kurama looked around to see if Shadow Naoto was around, only to find that it wasn't around.

_"Kurama-kun?"_ asked Rise's voice from inside Kurama's mind, _"Kurama-kun, are you there?"_

"Tofu Hime?" said Kurama, hoping that he wasn't hearing things that he shouldn't be, "Is that you?" A small gasp and cheer entered his mind as he not only hear Rise, but the others in his mind. _"Foxy-kun, you're alive!"_ Rise cried, _"I thought I lost you forever!"_ Kurama smiled and said, "This brat's Shadow is going to have to do a hell of a lot more to get rid of me. Can't say the same for what he did to Naoto." Kurama explained how Naoto's Shadow took a small amount of chakra from him and placed it inside the real Naoto. "I blacked out afterwards," said Kurama as he took another look in the lab to see scorch marks and destroyed tech scattered about, "but from the looks of things here, I have to say that Naoto had a really violent reaction…probably from the fox's chakra being absorbed into her body."

Silence went through Kurama's mind before he heard another voice in his mind._ "But when we absorbed your chakra, we just felt weak for a while,"_ asked Yukiko, _"Why was Naoto-kun's different?"_

_"Probably because the chakra you all had absorbed was already concentrated enough to just seal anywhere,"_ said a familiar voice, _"The chakra that Naoto absorbed was from the direct source."_ Kurama paused in silence before he asked, "Baa-chan?" A chuckle from Tsunade echoed in his mind as the sannin said, _"Of course gaki, and from what I've seen from the Shadows, they were going to need my help without you around."_ Kurama smiled as he knew that things were going to be alright. _"We'll meet up with you shortly, Foxy-kun,"_ said Rise with glee, _"Love ya!"_ Kurama chuckled at Rise's new energy and said, "Love you too, Hime." After feeling Rise leave his mind and seeing that Naoto wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, Kurama hung his head and decided to get some shut eye.

***With the Investigation Team***

The group, along with Tsunade, was running through the area as they battled their way through the legion of Shadows. "You're really good with healing Tsunade," said Yosuke as he flexed is once injured shoulder, "I don't even feel that scratch anymore!" Before Tsunade could chuckle, a huge Shadow in the form of a tank began to charge towards them. "Let me handle this one," said the sannin as she walked towards the Shadow, cracking her knuckles. The team watched as Tsunade leapt into the air and landed on the tank by the barrel. The woman then wrapped her arms around the barrel and with her chakra-enhanced strength Tsunade began to pull as the Shadow was now drifting in circles. Over the squeal of the tires, a faint groaning sound from the tank echoed and the whole Investigation Team when completely wide-eyed at the sight of Tsunade ripping the top of the vehicle off. "Dude," said Yosuke as he almost felt sorry for the Shadow as the slug sannin proceeded to use the piece she ripped off as a club, "she is brutal!" Everyone else froze as Tsunade then slammed the two pieces of the Shadow together into one colossal explosion, and when the dust settled, the floor was dented into a giant crater from the impact.

"He wasn't too tough," said Tsunade as she dusted off her hands with a small smile in her face, "It seemed more like a spanking than a fight to me." Tsunade saw the looks she was getting as Chie stared at her with inspired awe in her eyes. "How…" asked Yosuke as he found his voice, "How the hell did you do that?" Tsunade looked at him and said, "I just use the same techniques as the healing jutsus need; I just let out the collected chakra when I need it." Yu remained silent as he was just too bewildered from the woman's strength as a thought went through his mind, _She is old enough to actually be Kurama's grandmother and she is _that_ strong; I'm only that strong with Personas like Thor or Siegfried!_

The group had finally made their way to a door that Rise had pointed them towards. "Alight," said Yu as he stood in front of the door, "Is everyone ready? Naoto's Shadow could be extremely powerful now that Naoto was made into a pseudo-jinchuriki and Naoto could possibly Shadowfy so we cannot let any chance of error get through." After seeing everyone's determination, Yu then opened the door to reveal Naoto in front of another Naoto that was wearing an overly large lab coat and Kurama cuffed to a lab table with slightly bloodied tools hanging above him.

"Ah, right on time," said Naoto with a confident smile, "Naruto-senpai was indeed right about our rescue team. I was finished dealing with this child as his futile attempts of altering my body. He never took into account of the now enhanced strength and power I possess when he infused me with some of Naruto-senpai's power of the Nine-Tailed Fox." Naoto had turned around to leave before the other Naoto spoke in a light voice, tears in its eyes and said, **"Please don't go! I don't want to be alone anymore!"**

"I am really sorry, but I must be going,"said Naoto without giving the Shadow another look, "I need to study everything about this case as some new information had shed their light." Shadow Naoto's face soon contorted to one of anger and disappointment. **"You try to be just like them,"** said Shadow Naoto with a serious tone of malice in its voice, **"the very adults who see you as a child. They care nothing about you, just the grey matter that is your brain and once you have served your usefulness, it's back to the playpen for poor wittle Naoto."**

Naoto clenched his fists into a vice grip and said, "I will not let this impostor get to me." Kurama struggled and said, "Can we hold the whole 'you're me and I'm you' speech so I can get out; these cuffs are starting to chaff." Shadow Naoto's face turned into a charmed, yet sad face as it face Kurama. **"Do you really have to leave?"** asked Shadow Naoto with its innocent voice, **"You are just like those strong, mysterious detectives from all of my books, Kuranee-san!"** Naoto turned to see the other Naoto hugging Kurama in a loving way. "Why are you holding Naruto-senpai in such high regards?" asked Naoto as Shadow Naoto's smiling face went to a more serious look.

**"That is because our senpai is like us,"** said Shadow Naoto as he let go of Kurama and faced the real Naoto, **"Alone…unloved…nobody had ever seen past what they wanted or, in Senpai's case, what they never wanted to see. He shares the same pain of loneliness we have face our entire lives."** Tsunade saw the pain reflect of the Shadow's ominous yellow eyes as it would sometimes match Naruto's before his banishment. "Naruto-senpai has his own life that he must go to," said Naoto, "The Konoha-nin will not let you just take him."

**"Just like his energy,"** scolded Shadow Naoto, **"Senpai's body will be not just a perfect reference, but a donor as well for the special operation that I have planned!"** Kurama paled at the thought of the Shadow turning him and the real Naoto into some Frankenstein-like creature. "Woah woah woah!" said Kurama as he struggled against the cuffs, "I know I signed myself up to be an organ donor, but I'm not ready to just give up a piece of my body for your psychotic experiment!" Shadow Naoto ignored Kurama and said, **"This operation will be just the thing that will allow us to achieve all that we want! Isn't that right, 'Naoto'?"**

Naoto lightly looked away as the Investigation Team, save for Tsunade, were confused at what the Shadow had said. **"'Naoto'…such a manly name,"** said Shadow Naoto with slight admiration in its face, **"How can you be a man when you were never MALE to begin with?"** All but Tsunade were shocked by the accusation as multiple thoughts entered their minds…

_That shrimp's a chick!?_

_Nao-kun is actually…Nao-chan?_

_I don't know if I should be glad that he is a she…or scared of having another fan girl?_

_He's a girl,_ thought Kanji as he stood dumbfounded,_ I fell…for a girl…WOOHOO!_

**"Why did they look at me like I'm a little girl?"** said Shadow Naoto with its innocent voice, **"I wanna show them that I'm a big boy! I am a big boy!"** The real Naoto's breathing began to speed up as her knuckles began to turn white as she said, "I will not throw a tantrum…that never solves anything." A small dark chuckle escaped from Shadow Naoto's face. **"Now now, Naoto,"** mocked the Shadow with its serious tone, **"Throwing tantrums will not get you anywhere in life…baby girl. I know all this is true because I'm you…and you're me…"**

"Stop it!" threatened Naoto as her voice became higher, "just stop it!" Chie and Yukiko were about to warn Naoto about the danger ahead of her, but Kanji stopped them and said, "Let her. 's better if she let it all out so it doesn't hurt her in the long run. We can kick that Shadow's ass, jinchuriki powers or not." Shadow Naoto laughed at the statement and said, **"You'll kick my ass, huh? I don't think you have the guts, you brainless thug, considering that you have a pitiful attraction for me…or is it him?"** Having enough, Naoto looked at the Shadow with pure venom and said, "STOP IT! YOU'RE NOT ME!"

Darkness surrounded the Shadow as the Killing Intent from it caused Naoto to pass out. Shadow Naoto then became a mass of black ooze and bonded with the fallen detective. A scream erupted from Naoto as her body had undergone a painful change. The left side of Naoto's body became metallic as her face was fully encased in a metal mask that showed two eyes with an ominous orange and yellow coloring, a small box grew from her back as wings from a plane jutted from the sides, and her hat was now a blue tinted glass dome that reveal her brain in all its horrific glory. The Shadow/human hybrid then pulled out two space-age toy guns from some sort of hammer space as the hybrid then went into a fancy pose.

**"Time to operate…"** said Hybrid Naoto as it held its pose,** "Who's my first patient?"**

**What will the Investigation Team now do as Naoto has Shadowfied? Will Kanji still have feelings for the pint-sized detective? Don't for-**

**Naoto: Why do you have me look like that!?**

**I kind of thought of adding the Shadowfication with you.**

**Naoto: Did you seriously forgot how my Shadow looked in the games? And why do you make my Shadow bipolar? It did not act like that! I also took a look on how you will have both my Persona and my Shadow will act like-**

**You do realize that if I wanted to, I can make you "appear" in the swimsuit part of the pageant, right?**

**Naoto: *blush* You wouldn't dare...they would never allow it!**

**Try me...**

**Naoto:...damn. Don't forget to review...**

**Good story character. Anyway...**

**Ja Ne**


	29. Chapter 28

**I do not own Naruto or Persona 4**

**STOP SOPA!**

"Persona!" normal speech

_"Persona!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Persona!"** demon/Shadow/Persona speak

Chapter 28: Doctor's Fight and a Feast of Pizza

***Shadow World; Secret Laboratory***

The Investigation Team and Tsunade couldn't believe their eyes; Naoto Shirogane's Shadow had just merged itself with the real Naoto Shirogane and turned her into a hybrid of not only flesh and machine, but human and Shadow. _She's something out of a freaky sci-fi movie,_ Yosuke thought as he faltered a bit at the sight of the hybird's brain. "I think I'm going to be sick," said Yukiko as she covered her mouth.

**"Let us begin the operation, shall we?"** said Hybrid Naoto as she began flying all over the lab and firing lasers from the two guns in her hands. "Take cover!" shouted Yu as everyone but Kurama dove for cover to dodge the lasers. "Let's go, Rokuten Maoh!" said Kanji as he summoned his Persona while rushing towards the battle, "Ziodyne!" A giant warrior with a large pointed golden mustache in red armor with flame decals wielding a red sword with a shape of a flame near the tip appeared and launched a large bolt of lightning from the blade. Hybird Naoto easily dodged the attack with a well-timed barrel roll and began zapping Rokuten Maoh multiple times while Kanji's body began twitching furiously.

"Hang in there Kanji!" said Yosuke as Susano-O appeared and sent a large gust of wind towards the hybrid, "Garudyne!" Hybrid Naoto saw the attack and adjusted her wings to ride the attack out before launching a purple beam from her eyes. The beams hit Yosuke and to everyone's surprise, Yosuke was now an old man while Susano-O's hair turned a grayish red and drooped and the saw blade was now rusted. "Yosuke!" shouted Yu as he charged towards the now elderly teen. "Well if it isn't my old buddy Yu," said Yosuke with a raspy voice, "You look just as young as you were 10 years ago." _Holy crap!_ Kurama thought as he stopped his struggling, _Yosuke's now Yosuke-jiji!_

"Remember the time we dove into the TV to save Naoto-chan," said Yosuke as nostalgia appeared on his wrinkled, bearded face, "Is still remember how Kurama was mad as hell as it took us a while to even think of getting him free." Deadpanned, Yu said, "Actually that's today, Yosuke." Kurama was starting to get impatient with what the elderly Yosuke had mentioned and said, "Will someone GET ME OUT OF THESE DAMNED CUFFS!" Tsunade jumped towards the table that held Kurama and easily ripped the cuffs of, freeing Kurama.

Hybrid Naoto launched another purple beam towards Tsunade and Kurama, only for the teen to push the woman away to take the attack for her. "Naruto/Foxy!" cried both Tsunade and Rise as Kurama was now turned elderly by the beam. "Ohhh," groan the elderly Kurama as his dusty ponytail now reached his feet and he held his side, "my lumbago…I wonder if Baa-chan ever had this kind of problem…" Rise blushed at the sight of her now aged boyfriend and said, "Wow, Foxy-kun! Even as an old man, you're so cool!" Hybrid Naoto saw the girls and launched another purple beam towards them, only for Teddie to take the attack as his fur was now ragged and mushrooms were somehow growing on his back. "EWWW!" cried the three girls as they kicked the elderly Teddie away. "Young girls just don't have much respect anymore nowadays," said Teddie as he slowly rolled onto his back.

_Crap!_ Yu thought as he stared at the flying hybrid, _We're already down by three while she's still just as strong!_ "Rise, Yukiko!" shouted Yu before Kurama rushed by him. "I may be old as Baa-chan *wheeze*," said Kurama as he got into a battle stance, "but I can still fight like her *wheeze*! Marakunda!" Before Yu could object, Inari appeared in front of Hybrid Naoto and looked at her with wide sparkling eyes. The hybrid just floated before it began hugging Inari, who was still holding the same face. **"Ohhh! He is so so cute!"** spoke Hybrid Naoto as she spun around with a playful tone in her voice, **"You're such a cute wittle thing aren't you! Yes you are! Yes you are!"**

Yu saw the opening and quickly summoned a giant green blob with yellow eyes and a mouth as large as its own body. "Abaddon! Arrow Rain!" said Yu as the giant blob launched a flurry of arrows from its mouth towards the hybrid. Hybrid Naoto dropped Inari and began to dodge the arrows as it danced in the sky. The hybrid then launched, yet another purple beam and it hit Yu as his body was now aged. "Crap," said Chie as the now elderly Yu was standing on wobbly knees, "guess it's just us."

**"Not quite,"** said Kanji as he was twice his size, wearing red armor with flame decals, a red helmet with a golden disk on top, a mask that had a large pointed moustache, and wielding a red sword with a flame design near the tip, **"You still got me: Rokuten Tatsumi!"** Chie and Yukiko fused with their Personas and charged towards Hybrid Naoto along with Rokuten Tatsumi, only to have difficulty due to the Shadow's speed.

"Ahh such youth," said Yosuke as he and the other elderly teens watched the battle, "Why is it wasted on the young?" Kurama saw how the battle was going and said, "We should join them and fuse with our Personas as well…Does anyone remember how to do that?" Yu was confused as he couldn't even remember how to fuse Personas in the first place. "I just remembeared something!" said Teddie as he got to his feet, "I have a skill that will restore our youth back to its glory!" Kurama knocked a fist on Teddie's skull and said, "Why didn't you do that in the first place…you…you…walking mattress with spores." Teddie smacked a card as Kintoki-Douji appeared out of the blue and said, "Go Kintoki-Douji! Energy Shower!"

A light blue aura surrounded the elderly teens as their bodies were now being restored. "Alright!" said Yosuke as he was full of energy once more, "We're back to normal!" Yu stretched his body to work out a few remaining kinks before Kurama, now fused with his Persona, rushed into the fray in a golden flash. "Inaba's Hokage doesn't waste any time," said Yu as he watched Kurama/Inari breathe fire towards the Shadow. "That's Naruto for you," said Tsunade as she stared in prideful awe at the golden anthropomorphic fox, thinking on how much her little gaki was just like Minato.

**"We need to find a way to slow this Shadow down,"** said Kurama/Inari, **"or at least take it down without doing too much damage to Naoto's body!"** Hybrid Naoto was dodging attacks left and right before Yu appeared in his hybrid form of Izanagi. **"Kurama,"** said Yu/Izanagi as he faced Kurama/Inari, **"I have a powerful Persona that might work, but you're going to have to buy me some time."** Kurama/Inari nodded and said, **"On it! Masukukaja!"**

A green aura surrounded everyone as Kurama/Inari quickly closed the distance between him and Hybrid Naoto. The fox slammed a heel against the hybrid, launching her towards the ground, before launching himself right behind Hybrid Naoto and redirecting her back into the air. The others watched as the Persona hybrid began bouncing the Shadow hybrid off thin air in an onslaught of attacks, similar to a pinball machine. **"Sorry Naoto,"** said Kurama/Inari as a golden sphere appeared in his right palm as he grabbed the hybrid's tie with his left, **"Zen'no Rasengan!"** The Persona hybrid slammed the attack into the Shadow hybrid and the force actually freed the real Naoto as Rokuten Tatsumi caught her. **"Now Yu!"** said Kurama/Inari as he jumped away from the Shadow.

**"Change,"** said Yu/Izanagi as a brilliant light shone through the area, **"Beelzebub!"** When the light cleared, Yu was now wearing a purple school uniform and a necklace made of skulls and he had four insect-like arms with a bone-like scepter in one of the hands. Insect wings jutted from his back while the jacket's tail was touching the floor. Yu's hair was now blonde with black highlights and when he opened his eyes, Yu had orange insect-like eyes. Yu was now a hybrid form between man and fly, reminding Kurama of not only a movie he saw before, but an old cartoon as well.

**"Let see how you deal with someone who hold the power of the Lord of Flies,"** said Yu with a high, nasally voice as he flapped his wings and took to the sky. The now normal Shadow's speed was clearly matched by Yu/Beelzebub's own speed as the two combatants clashed multiple times. **"Mabufudyne!"** said Yu/Beelzebub as giant ice cubes were launched from the scepter. Shadow Naoto was able to dodge all but one as a block of ice was frozen to one of its wings. **"Way to go Yu-senpai!"** said Rise as she was now wearing a black and white striped dress and a red crown as she was fused with Kanzeon. Yu/Beelzebub held his scepter in front of him as he then focused his energy into one attack. **"Senpai's getting ready for a HUGE attack!"** said Rise/Kanzeon with panic, **"Everyone RUN!"**

Everyone ran out of the lab as Kurama/Inari was easily ahead of everyone as he carried Rise/Kanzeon on his back. Rokuten Tatsumi was the last to leave with Naoto in his arms, protecting her as one lone voice echoed in the lab.

**"Megidolaon."**

Everyone had just made it outside when a blinding white light enveloped the base as it exploded from the inside. **"Overkill much **Cuz?" said Kurama as he returned to normal as the only ones that were standing where the Secret Base once stood was Yu in his normal form and Shadow Naoto in his original large lab coat. Everyone else returned to the original forms as Naoto woke up and got out of Kanji's arms and walked towards her Shadow.

"I'm sorry," said Naoto as she let out a long sigh, "You were…no, you are right. I myself had become too obsessive with all of my work that I was never taken seriously." The detective helped her Shadow get to its feet and said, "It was never about age or sex, but attitude. I kept pushing on with all of my theories and advice that I ended up making myself appear what I hated to be seen as…a child." The Shadow looked at Naoto and said with its innocent voice, **"I wanna be a hard-boiled detective like Grandpa when I grow up!"** Naoto let out a chuckle and said, "That's right, I have always admired my grandfather and I always wanted to be like him…but as I got older, I realized that it would be impossible when I would become a woman."

"Naoto," said Tsunade as she placed a motherly hand on the detective's shoulder, "I have seen how things are in the world and all I can say is that things change over time. Being a woman is nothing to be ashamed of if you still want to become that hard-boiled detective you want to be. So what if some people refuse to see a woman become a police officer or detective, over time, what sex you are will not matter if the future changes. My little gaki has already achieved what he always dreamed of because his future was changed when he was banished." Naoto looked at Kurama as Rise had him on the ground, giving him a flurry of kisses while the others laughed at the site.

Naoto turned to face her Shadow and said, "I've been so blind of the future that I've never given the possibilities of change a thought. I thank you for bringing people who showed me my own light. As you have said before…I'm you, and you're me…thank you." The Shadow smiled as a blue light enveloped it, changing its form. The new Persona now only reached halfway of Naoto's thigh and was wearing a blue jacket with golden buttons and small blue shorts with its body underneath wrapped in bandages along with brown loafers. It also had a white cape with blue trimmings in the form of butterfly wings and a mask with golden antennae acting as eyebrows for the Persona's orange eyes. In its hand was a sword made out of pure energy as only the hilt was metallic. Everyone stared at the new Persona as Naoto spoke its name, "Sukuna-Hikona."

After Sukuna-Hikona vanished into Naoto, the detective fell to her knees from lack of energy. "I can't believe you all hid something like this for so long," said Naoto weakly as Kanji helped her to her feet. "Who'd believe us," said Kurama as his face was now covered with red kisses from Rise, "A world inside a TV? Persona? It would all sound like some wacky drug trip from those movies." The group then headed out of the Shadow World as Kanji carried the weakened detective on his back.

***Real World; Naoto's Apartment***

Kanji climbed the stairs as Naoto wrapped her arms around the teen's body to keep herself from falling. "You really don't have to do this, Tatsumi-san," said Naoto, feeling embarrassed at her situation, "I am capable of making it to my apartment on my own." Naoto then rested her head as Sukuna-Hikona spoke up in her mind. **"Why not let him help, nii-chan?"** said Sukuna-Hikona with an innocent voice before speaking again in a mature and serious tone, **"You can barely stand, show obvious signs of fatigue, and…he's warm…"** Naoto didn't know if she blushed from her Persona's dual personalities or from what the more mature personality had said.

"We're here," said Kanji as he stood in front of a numbered door, "Room 501" Naoto reached into her pocket and pulled out the key to the door, unlocking it. The door opened to show the living room with just a simple sofa and coffee table in front of a small television. "You can set me down now," Naoto said much to Sukuna-Hikona's displeasure. She was able to take a couple of steps before falling to one knee and Kanji helped her up. "Easy there," said Kanji as he guided the detective towards the sofa, "You have to take things slow for a while. Trust me, awakening your Persona makes you feel like crap for a while until you get your strength back. Then again, none of us had gone through what you had, so it might be longer."

Kanji then saw Naoto's face turn green and quickly grabbed a bucket so the girl could empty her stomach contents inside. "Uuagh," Naoto heaved as she let out more bile, "Did you…*gasp*…have to go through all this as…*gasp*…as well?" Naoto saw Kanji shook his head and moved her hat to the side before nausea won her over as she emptied more bile into the bucket. The bleached haired teen could only rub Naoto's back to help ease the pain. _And to think that the others made Naoto make me stay with her while she recovered,_ Kanji thought as he heard another wave of bile enter the bucket, _How much does this girl eat?_

After Naoto recovered, she reluctantly guided Kanji towards the bathroom so she could bathe. Both teen were glad that the bathroom had a combination of a tub and shower so that Naoto doesn't risk falling if she showered. "I-I'm gonna wait in the…the living room," said Kanji as he set the detective on the toilet, "I-If you need anything…j-j-just give me a holler." Naoto watched Kanji exit, silently cursing the others in the Investigation Team of making her have Kanji with her until she recovered. **"He isn't bad company,"** said Sukuna-Hikona with its mature voice before going into its child personality, **"You just need to be more happy and less grumpy, especially to Kanji-Bear."**

Naoto blushed at that nickname as she let the tub fill as she began to undress. _Why would I come up with such a ridiculous name for one of the people who saved me?_ Naoto thought as she removed her shirt to reveal her bindings, _Especially Kan-er-I mean Tatsumi-san?_ Naoto had removed her shoes and socks when Sukuna-Hikona said, **"Because he's sweet and so cute when he blushes like he did when he set ya on the potty."** Naoto sighed at how her Persona was acting, but she did secretly admit that Kanji did look cute when he was flustered.

In the living area, Kanji just relaxed nervously on the sofa as he carefully listened for Naoto to call him. **"What's bothering you Kanji-san?"** asked Rokuten Maoh, **"Are you somewhat bothered that Naoto ****_is_**** a girl?"** _No it's not that Rokuten,_ thought Kanji as he ran a hand through his hair, _I guess I'm just nervous about being rejected again, and by someone who thinks my hobby is cool…I don't know…_

"Kanji," called Naoto as said teen walked towards the bathroom door. "What is it Naoto-cha-er Naoto?" asked Kanji as he nervously caught himself, "You alright?" The sound of Naoto moving in water echoed from the other side of the door and the detective said, "I'm alright…I just forgot to have you get me a towel." Kanji swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "I'll g-go get y-you one; where are they?" Naoto was silent before she said, "The towels are in the closet right next to you, just…just hang in on the doorknob."

"No Naoto," said Kanji as he grabbed a towel, "I don't want you to slip and fall down. I'll just…just set the towel next to ya…I…I promise I won't p-p-peep." Naoto was blushing furiously as she tried to cover herself as the doorknob turned to reveal Kanji with his eyes shut tightly with a towel in one hand and his other was reaching for the sink. Kanji found the sink and slowly walked along with it, allowing it to guide him. "I-i-is this c-close enough?" asked Kanji as he was completely blinded by his own efforts of giving the weakened girl some privacy. "That's perfectly fine Kan-er-uh Tatsumi-san," said Naoto as she watched the blind Kanji set the towel on the sink before leaving Naoto by herself as he exited the bathroom.

**"Why are you fighting yourself!?"** scolded Sukuna-Hikona with her childish personality, **"You don't have to call him Tatsumi-san, just Kanji or Kanji-bear will work!"** Naoto unplugged the tub as she stepped on the mat next to the tub and began to dry herself off. _I will not call him Kanji-bear,_ Naoto thought as she dried her hair, _that is a degrading name._ **"How do you know that he would not like the name?"** asked Sukuna-Hikona with its mature personality, **"Did you not catch him almost calling you Naoto-chan?"** Naoto wrapped the towel around her body as she decided to ignore her Persona's efforts to see her attachment towards Kanji.

Kanji was in the living area, waiting on the sofa again when Naoto stepped out wearing jogging pants and a sweatshirt that was at least one size too big. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" asked Naoto as she felt an empty pit in her stomach, "I feel like I haven't eaten in days." Kanji chuckled and said, "I wouldn't mind grabbing a bite or two; I'm starving as well, but that's because of having to fuse with our Personas uses a helluva lot of energy so once the fight's over, we are always hungry. I remember this one time Chie-senpai ate two of the rainy day specials at Aiya's, although Yu-senpai could have eaten five bowls if we hadn't stopped him." Naoto wasn't too keen on having to eat so much to accommodate such a use of power, but then again…

It wasn't until forty-five minutes had passed that Kanji and Naoto were stuffing their faces with slice after slice of pizza that the two of them had ordered. "You mind *slurp* *slurp* not eating so much?" asked Kanji as he was stuffing his mouth with another slice of pepperoni pizza, "You're gonna *slurp* make yerself sick." Naoto shot the teen a glare as she was unceremoniously eating her slice of pizza and said, "You should try not talking with your mouth full." The two of them continued to eat until there was just one slice of pizza left. "You have the last slice Tatsumi-san," asked Naoto as she was beginning to feel full. "Nah," said Kanji as he slid the box toward Naoto, "you can have it." Naoto then pushed the box back towards Kanji and said, "But you are my guest and it would be rude of me to eat the last slice." Kanji and Naoto continued to push the box back and forth until someone knocked on the door.

"I'll go see who it is," said Naoto as she got up and looked through the peephole on her door to see a man with bluish-silver hair and he was accompanied by Kanji's mother. "Oh no," said Naoto as she paled, "It my grandfather and your mother!" Kanji soon paled as he began to wonder if his mother was upset with him staying at a girl's house for so long…or did she know that Naoto was a girl? "Naoto-chan," said Naoto's grandfather, "are you alright? Ayane-chan told me that you had gone missing and I just wanted to make sure you're alright!"

Naoto opened the door to let her grandfather and Kanji's mother enter and the two saw pizza boxes. "You two are cleaning?" asked Kanji's mother. "O-O-Of course we were," said Kanji as a smile appeared on his face, "Rise-chan wanted to throw Naoto a party for her safe return and Naoto and I were just finishing up." Naoto looked at her grandfather, hoping that the man would buy the lie and to her surprise, he bought it. "Well, I'm just glad that my little Naoto-chan is alright," said Naoto's grandfather with a smile, "Yoshi would haunt me if anything were to happen to his precious little angel."

"I know what you mean, Ryuko," said Kanji's mother, "I'm pretty sure Jeri-kun would haunt me as well if any awful happened to our little boy." Kanji blushed as he picked up the pizza box. "Ma," growled Kanji as he tried to suppress his blush, "stop embarrassing me!" Naoto's grandfather laughed and said, "Now, now, it is a parent's responsibility to embarrass their little ones. I remembered when Naoto used to play detective with the dolls Yuri-chan had given her." It was Naoto's turn to blush as she said, "Th-Th-That's personal, Grandfather!" Kanji and Naoto looked at each other as the adults laughed at the little stories.

The adults soon noticed that it was getting late and the two of them decided to leave. Naoto shut the door and saw that the adults were gone, she let her shoulders droop in relief that the whole ordeal was over. It was then Naoto let out a yawn as she then noticed Kanji's eyes were beginning to droop. "Let's call it a night shall we?" asked Naoto as Kanji nodded his head. "Sounds like a good plan to me," said the teen as he lay down on the couch, "I don't mind taking the couch."

"Please, take my bed," said Naoto as she was hoping to settle the sleeping arrangements, "You are my guest; I'll take the couch." Kanji looked at the detective and said, "I'm taking the couch; I'm not letting you sleep on this just for my sake." Naoto wanted to counter, but her fatigue told her to just give it up and sleep in her bed. "Very well," said Naoto as she gave Kanji a blanket and headed towards her room, "Good night, Tatsumi-san." Kanji covered himself up and lay his head on the armrest and said, "G' night, Naoto-chan."

***Streets of Inaba***

Adachi was patrolling the street when he saw a figure through the fog. "Good evening sir," said the cop as he threw a smile towards the person, "lovely nigh we're having." The man looked at Adachi and said, "Why yes indeed it is; a nice night for a stroll, if I do say so myself." The two men then shook hands and went their separate ways as Adachi went back to his patrol as the other man went back to his own stroll as he looked at a photo that was produced from his sleeve to reveal a picture…a picture of Nanako Dojima.

**Now that Nao-**

**Naoto: How dare you make my Persona have a childish personality! I know that I accepted knowing that I'm a girl and still young..but this is unacceptable!**

**Naoto...**

**Naoto: And why did you have Kanji not only stay at my apartment, but have him go into my bathroom while I was in the tub!?**

**I had him close his eyes and kept him from having a nosebleed.**

**Naoto: I've also saw how you were going to have my Shadow look and that...is...unacceptable! The readers will mock you! I don't care if they overlooked it in Straw Hat Ninja but...**

**You know I can make a certain...accident...happen that would certainly make you more popular in the beauty pageant, right? I already have someone wanted to see you show up in a swimsuit.**

**Naoto: No! Please don't! I'll be quiet...for now...**

**Sukuna-Hikona: Please review or I sick Kanji-bear on you!**

**...Ja Ne?**


End file.
